A dangerously small number of Canadian women can name the warning signs of a stroke, a new report finds.
The problem is especially bad among women from Canada's two largest visible minorities -- Chinese and South Asian – who happen to be at higher-than-average risk of a stroke.
The Heart and Stroke Foundation recently conducted telephone surveys of more than 1,000 Canadian women and asked them to name the five major warning signs of a stroke.
Just 62 per cent could name two of the signs, and only one-third could come up with three.
For the record, the five major warning signs of a stroke are:
- Weakness: Sudden loss of strength, numbness in face, arm or leg, even if temporary
- Trouble speaking: Sudden difficulty speaking, understanding or confusion, even if temporary
- Vision problems: Sudden trouble with vision, even if temporary
- Headache: Sudden severe or unusual headache
- Dizziness: Sudden loss of balance, especially with any of the above signs
"Canadian women need to be better stroke detectors," neurologist and Heart and Stroke Foundation spokesperson, Dr. Frank Silver said in a statement. "We need to do all we can to build awareness of the warning signs and help women reduce their risk from death or disability from stroke."
Silver notes that reacting quickly to the first signs of a stroke is critical. That's because the key treatment for most strokes, tPa, must be administered within three hours of the first warning signs in order to be effective.
"Canadians must react urgently to the warning signs by calling 9-1-1 or their local emergency number," says Silver.
The fact that women of Chinese and South Asian descent are even less aware of warning signs than other Canadians is of particular concern, since these groups are at a higher risk of both having stroke and of dying of a stroke.
Stroke death rates are highest among women of Chinese origin, intermediate among women of South Asian origin and lowest among women of European origin, previous analyses have shown.
That's because of genetics and factors such as their saltier-than-usual diets.
When pollsters asked women to name the biggest risk factors for stroke, 23 per cent could not name even one.
Only 28 per cent recognized high blood pressure as a risk factor – it's the leading risk factor -- and only 20 per cent identified high cholesterol.
The other key risk factors are:
- Smoking
- Obesity
- Stress
- Family history
- Physical inactivity
- Age
- Heart disease
- Diabetes
- Excessive alcohol consumption
More than 50,000 strokes occur each year in Canada, killing almost 14,000 a year and leaving thousands of others disabled.
The good news is that almost 80 per cent of strokes are potentially preventable, says Silver, simply by managing blood pressure, weight and cholesterol levels, avoiding smoking, getting regular exercise, eating a low-sodium diet.
Harris-Decima conducted the telephone poll of 1,013 Canadian women between March 31 and April 10. It's considered accurate plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
A second phone survey in March of 255 South Asian and 245 Chinese women is considered accurate within plus or minus 6.3 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
