Know stroke symptoms for quick treatment

People who have strokes are reluctant to get medical help, because they hope their symptoms will go away, researchers have found. But delaying vital treatment even by a few hours can make a big difference to your chances of recovery.

What do we know already?

Time is crucial after a stroke. During a stroke, one of the blood vessels supplying the brain gets blocked with a blood clot. The blockage means that blood can’t flow to part of the brain. Without a blood supply, the brain cells start to die. This damage to the brain is what causes disability after a stroke. The type of disability depends on which area of the brain is affected. Some people have problems with speech, or with moving one side of the body.

The faster the brain’s blood supply is restored, the less damage there will be to the brain. This means people are likely to have less serious disability, and are more likely to recover. Medical treatments, including drugs, can help restore the supply of blood to the brain, so the faster you get treatment, the better.

Without treatment, the damage is more likely to be widespread, and permanent. Getting treatment quickly may make the difference between whether someone is left with a slight disability or more serious damage.

Previous research on people who have had strokes has found that almost 80% call the GP when they get stroke symptoms, rather than an ambulance. This suggests that, even if people recognise that something may be wrong, they do not recognise stroke as a medical emergency.

What does the new study say?

The researchers interviewed 400 people who’d had a stroke or a mini-stroke (transient ischaemic attack) and been treated in hospital. They found that:

• Less than half of the people had thought their symptoms meant they were having a stroke
• The most common reason for delaying getting help was people thinking the symptoms would go away. Also, some people had difficulty getting to hospital, or had no one to help them.
• People took on average three and a half hours to get medical help. But some took as long as 8 days
• Only half of those interviewed thought it was important to get treated quickly.

Where does the study come from?

The study was carried out by researchers for the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, USA. It was published in the Emergency Medical Journal, which is owned by the British Medical Association. The research was funded by the Mayo Clinic.

What does this mean for me?

If you think you might be having a stroke, it’s really important to get medical help quickly. It’s a medical emergency. These are some of the symptoms of stroke:

• Suddenly feeling numb, weak or unable to move your face, arm or leg. This is usually on one side of the body only
• Suddenly finding it hard to speak or understand what people are saying
• Suddenly getting double vision, blurred eyesight or being able to see less well
• Suddenly feeling dizzy, losing your balance, or not being able to co-ordinate your movements
• Sudden, very severe headache that feels like a ‘bolt from the blue’. You may also get a stiff neck, painful face or pain between your eyes.
• Feeling confused and finding it hard to remember things, see or hear things.

These symptoms usually come on without warning. They may happen very quickly, or get worse over several hours. If you get these symptoms, you should get emergency medical help.

Sometimes, you get symptoms like these, but they go away. This may be because of a mini-stroke, or transient ischaemic attack (TIA). If you have a mini-stroke, the blood vessel to the brain was blocked, but only temporarily. However, it’s still an emergency. People who have a mini-stroke have a very high risk of getting a full stroke within days or weeks. Prompt medical treatment can stop you from going on to get a full stroke, so it’s very important to get medical help at once.

What should I do now?

Take note of the symptoms of a stroke, and be aware of them. If you or anyone you’re with gets symptoms and you think they might be having a stroke, get medical help straight away. Call 999 for an ambulance, or go straight to the hospital.

From:

Stead LG, Vaidyanathan L, Bellolio MF. Knowledge of signs, treatment and need for urgent management in patients presenting with an acute ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack: a prospective study. Emergency Medicine Journal 2008:25;735-739.

To find out more about stroke and TIA, see our information on stroke.