National campaign to cut deaths from stroke

An Australia-wide campaign has begun to reduce the number of deaths from stroke, Australia’s second greatest killer after heart disease.

The National Stroke Foundation says stroke patients don’t get to hospital fast enough because the signs of stroke are not recognised.

National Stroke Foundation chief executive officer, Dr Erin Lalor, said the faster a patient gets diagnosed and treated, the greater the chance of reducing damage to the brain.

“In 2006, Australians will suffer 53,000 new and recurrent strokes – that’s one stroke every 10 minutes but those suffering from a stroke and people with them often don’t recognise the signs,” Dr Lalor said. “The FAST campaign is a simple test for stroke.”

FAST stands for Facial weakness, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty, Time to act. Using the FAST test involves asking three simple questions:

· Face – Can the person smile, has their mouth or eyes drooped?
· Arms – Can the person raise both arms?
· Speech – Can the person speak clearly and understand what you say?
· Time – Act FAST and get medical attention.

Patients who are admitted to a hospital within three hours for treatment and are managed in a dedicated stroke unit have a greater chance of surviving a stroke and will have a better recovery. If most stroke patients were able to get appropriate treatment and the number of hospitals with dedicated stroke units was increased, more than 1,300 people a year could be saved from death or disability from stroke.

It’s important to get medical attention even if the signs only last for a short period.