Three questions can identify whether a person’s had a stroke – and it’s accurate in most cases.
Stroke is the third biggest cause of death in Australia, after ischaemic heart disease and cancer. Each year, more than 40,000 Australians suffer a stroke. A third of these people will die within a year, and half will be disabled. Pretty grim stuff.
But the good news is that someone who’s had a stroke has a much better chance of recovery if they get to hospital quickly. Doctors can give them a ‘clot-busting’ drug that reduces the damage caused by the blood clot in the artery that is depriving the brain of oxygen and causing the stroke. Studies have shown that people who receive the drug recover better than those who don’t.
But there’s a catch. The stroke victim must receive the clot-busting drug within three hours of the onset of symptoms.
Read the full story at The ABC