DID YOU KNOW that stroke is the fourth single leading cause of death in the UK and the single largest cause of complex disability costing the NHS £2.8 billion (and the wider economy over £9 billion) each year.There are more than 100,000 incidences of stroke each year in the UK. This is around one stroke every five minutes.
Public Health England (PHE) data suggests that there were 1,413 excess deaths from Stroke between 21 March 2020 and 22 January 2021, 7% higher than expected.
In addition, stroke is an inequalities issue with black people being twice as likely to have a stroke than white people. On average, people of Black African, Black Caribbean and South Asian descent in the UK have strokes when they are younger. With COVID-19 disproportionately affecting these groups, there’s an even greater need to ensure that they aren’t being affected by other conditions. The campaign will include specific activity targeted at ethnic minority communities.
So we are supporting the national awareness campaign that PHE are running in association with the Stroke Association. With the current national restrictions in place, there’s an even greater need to run this campaign activity to remind people of the symptoms, and to take urgent action.
Look out for the primary signs and symptoms – Think and Act F.A.S.T.
- Face – has their face fallen on one side? Can they smile?
- Arms – can they raise both arms and keep them there?
- Speech – is their speech slurred?
- Time to call 999 if you see any single one of these signs of a stroke
Some other signs that may be due to a stroke or mini stroke include:
- Sudden loss of vision or blurred vision in one or both eyes
- Sudden weakness or numbness on one side of the body (including the leg)
- Sudden memory loss or confusion
- Sudden dizziness, unsteadiness or a sudden fall, especially with any of the other signs
- Call 999 immediately if you notice any single one of the signs of stroke.
If you suspect someone is having a stroke call 999. The quicker you act the better their chances.
See www.nhs.uk/ActFAST for more details.
SOURCES:-
- Public Health England
- NHS 2019: The NHS Long Term Plan https://www.longtermplan.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/nhs-long-term-plan-version-1.2.pdf
- Stroke Association 2018: State of the Nation https://www.stroke.org.uk/sites/default/files/state_of_the_nation_2018.pdf
- Stroke Association 2018: State of the Nation https://www.stroke.org.uk/sites/default/files/state_of_the_nation_2018.pdf
- Kings College London, An insight into stroke care during COVID-19 webinar, Presentation slides
- South Asian Health Foundation http://www.sahf.org.uk/sites
- https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/static-reports/mortality-surveillance/excess-mortality-in-england-latest.html
