Majority of stroke patients 'don't think they're having a stroke'
A study has found that the majority of stroke patients do not realise they are having a stroke, meaning that they often delay seeking stroke care until their condition has become much worse.
Researchers at Mayo Clinic in the US studied 400 patients who were diagnosed with acute ischaemic stroke or a transient ischaemic attack (TIA or 'mini stroke').
They found that only 42 per cent of patients had realised they were having a stroke and the average patient did not go to hospital until they had been experiencing symptoms for over three-and-a-half hours in the hope that the symptoms would simply go away.
The findings, which are published in Emergency Medicine Journal, are concerning as time is "crucial" when treating stroke, according to Dr Latha Stead, emergency medicine specialist and lead author of the study.
"In general, the sooner a patient experiencing a stroke reaches emergency care, the more likely the stroke can be limited and the condition managed to prevent further damage and improve recovery," Dr Stead explained.
Only 20.8 per cent of the study participants were aware that immediate treatment could mean the difference between a slight injury and a major disability.
Stroke Association figures show that an estimated 150,000 people in the UK have a stroke every year.