Australians face an increasing risk of stroke

Strokes are the number one cause of disability in Australia, with one in four people expected to experience a stroke during their lifetime.

According to the Stroke Foundation, more than 80 percent of strokes can be prevented by leading a healthier lifestyle and by scheduling a visit to your GP a bit more often. Credit: Alterio Felines from Pixabay

Key Points

• Stroke is one of Australia’s biggest killers.
• There are over 445,000 Australians living with the effects of stroke.
• There are over 27,000 Australians who experienced stroke for the first time in their lives in 2020, which is equal to one stroke every 19 minutes.

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Australians face an increasing risk of stroke in Filipino

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During this year's National Stroke Week (7-13 August), the Australian Stroke Foundation is hoping to raise awareness about the impacts they can have in their life and how they can be prevented.

Executive Director of Marketing at the Stroke Foundation, John De Rango says a stroke could be brought on by various reasons.

"There's a very simple acronym to remember and that is is acronym of F.A.S.T or watch out for the face, arms, speech and time."

"'F' is for 'face', has their face dripped or is their face dripped. 'A' is for 'arms', can they lift both arms. 'S' is for 'speech', is their speech slurred or do they understand you. And if any of those signs (are) present, 't' is for 'time'. Time is absolutely critical because stroke is always a medical emergency. So call triple zero immediately if any of those face, arms or speech signs are present. "