Would you recognize a stroke if you saw someone having one?

Do you know what a stroke is? Would you be able to recognise its symptoms if you or someone else suffered an attack? A recent survey across six urban cities - Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore - showed that half the respondents weren't aware of what a stroke is and didn't associate the term with brain. This is particularly shocking because the World Stroke Association estimates that one in six people are liable to suffer from a brain in their life.

The survey carried out by the Indian Stroke Association (ISA) reveals that Mumbai had the lowest awareness: 73% of them did not know that a stroke patient suffers from confusion and trouble in speaking. Also, 91% of them did not know that a stroke can go undiagnosed as symptoms are not painful. 'A stroke hits the patients like a bolt out of the blue. First, a stroke may not be so bad and there could be mild slurring of speech or weakness in the hands and legs. This tends to get better within fifteen minutes, after which the patient may shove the problem under the carpet and get on with life,' said Dr Shirish Hastak, neurologist, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital.

The 20% patients that suffer from mild symptoms go on to develop a full-fledged stroke in the next 48 hours. Also, as many as 60% patients miss initial symptoms like numbness or slurring of speech. If they are not treated within a window period of two to four hours, they go on to develop disabilities like paralysis and loss of speech.

'I see close to ten stroke patients in a week. While 40% patients recover, another 40% develop disabilities and rest 20% die. Most stroke-affected persons are above 60 years. The ailment is catching up among youngsters with high-stress lifestyle and shooting blood pressure,' said Dr AB Shah, neurologist, Breach Candy Hospital.

What is stroke?
Also known as a cerebrovascular accident, a stroke is a medical emergency in which a part of the brain doesn't receive blood supply. Brain cells of the affected region begin to die within a few minutes and often result in long-term dysfunction of the body part controlled by the affected brain area. There are two main types of strokes Ischemic and Haemorrhagic stroke. An ischemic stroke is caused by a block (blood clot) in the blood vessel and a haemorrhagic stroke is caused by bleeding through a tear in the blood vessel.

Read more about causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of stroke.

Risk factors include smoking drinking, drinking, high blood pressure, high blood glucose (diabetes), heart disease, high cholesterol obesity, low HDL and drug abuse.

Signs and symptoms of stroke include numbness, weakness or paralysis on one side of the body. There is sudden confusion, severe headache with no known cause and trouble in speaking, understanding, seeing, walking, dizziness or loss of balance. Stroke is diagnosed by a clinical (neurological) examination and imaging tests such as CT or MRI scans which determine the type and cause of stroke.

Use the handy mnemonic FAST to recognize the symptoms:

F (face): uneven smile, facial droopiness, numbness, vision disturbance

A (arm and leg): weakness, numbness, difficulty walking

S (speech): slurred, inappropriate words, mute

T (time): Realize that time is critical. If you notice any of the above symptoms, immediately call 911 studies show that you get faster care if you arrive at the hospital in an ambulance than if someone drives you. With strokes, time lost is brain lost simple as that.

Tips to keep stroke at bay

Get some exercise

Walk at least 20 minutes a day. Even if you break it up into two 10-minute sessions, it's worth it. Walking a total of 2 hours a week can cut your stroke risk by 30 percent, according to a large study of nearly 40,000 women, conducted over a 12-year period. Walk briskly (so you can talk but not sing) and your chances are reduced by almost 40 percent.

Get the right amount of sleep

Set your alarm for 7 hours of sleep. More than 10 a night in la-la land may increase your stroke risk by up to 63 percent, compared with the recommended 7-hour stretch, scientists at Harvard claim. And if you're especially loud in bed while snoring, that is studies suggest you're twice as likely to develop metabolic syndrome, which is a cluster of conditions that raises your risk of stroke, as well as heart disease and diabetes.

Switch to a healthier diet

Healthier food options will help you lower your bad cholesterol levels, keep heart disease at bay and also prevent obesity. Various researches have shown that healthier eating habits have a causal link with less heart disease and stroke risk. Check out our diet section for tasty, healthy recipes.

Mind the migraine

Those extra-special headaches particularly the ones that come with flashes of light and blind spots appear linked to a higher stroke risk in women; and as an added bonus, most migraine-sufferers are women, thanks in part to hormonal fluctuations and medications. Though there's no clear proof that indicates treating a migraine means no stroke, experts agree it's reasonable to try and reduce their frequency. Talk with your doctor she may prescribe preventive meds or suggest stress management techniques.

Don't ignore irregular heartbeats

Pay attention to palpitations especially if the heart flutters occur with shortness of breath, light-headedness, and chest pain those are all signs of atrial fibrillation (AF), an abnormal heartbeat that boosts risk of stroke about five-fold.

Read more about causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of heart disease.

Eat potassium-rich food

Eat sweet potatoes and raisins and bananas and tomato paste. Not all on the same plate but individually, each is loaded with potassium and a diet rich in foods with this nutrient may reduce stroke risk by 20 percent, suggests a recent report. More good sources: fruits and veggies, fish, poultry, and dairy.

Lengthen that short fuse

A study published in the journal Hypertension suggests that angry and aggressive people may be at a higher risk of stroke.

With inputs from DNA

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