According to (WHO, 2022), stroke is the leading cause of disability and the second leading cause of death worldwide.
The global incidence average is 65 years of age however 50% of stroke patients in the UAE today are below the age of 45 years, with around 8,000 to 10,000 patients suffering from a stroke yearly, the equivalent of 1 patient every hour.
WHAT IS A STROKE?
A serious life-threatening medical condition that occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off. It should be treated as a medical emergency, (NHS).
Strokes are to the brain what a heart attack is to the heart. Without oxygen, the affected brain cells become oxygen-deprived and doesn’t function properly, (Cleveland Clinic).
WHO IS AT RISK?
Some of the main clinical risk factors for stroke include: a high blood pressure, tobacco use, physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, use of alcohol, atrial fibrillation, raised blood lipid levels, obesity, genetic disposition, stress, and depression. Stroke survivors may live with impacts which include physical disability, communication difficulties, loss of work, income, and social networks and therefore, fast access to treatment is imperative and improves recovery.
SYMPTOMS
- One-sided weakness or paralysis.
- Difficulty with or loss of speaking ability
- Slurred or garbled speaking
- Loss of muscle control on one side of your face.
- Sudden loss — either partial or total — of one or more senses (vision, hearing, smell, taste and touch).
- Blurred or double vision
- Loss of coordination or clumsiness
- Dizziness
- Nausea and vomiting
- Neck stiffness
- Emotional instability and personality changes
- Confusion or agitation
- Seizures
- Amnesia
- Headaches (usually sudden and severe).
- Fainting.
- Coma.