Prof Mandisa Kakaza, the Head of Neurology at Steve Biko Academic Hospital (SBAH) and University of Pretoria says that people need to be informed about strokes, how they present and how they get treated. 

The public has been urged to seek immediate medical attention when noticing stroke related symptoms such as sudden weakness on the face, arm or leg and it is mostly on one side of the body.

This comes as countries observe World Stroke Day today (29 October) to raise awareness on the disease which claims approximately 60 lives every day in South Africa. The good news is, stroke does not have to be a death sentence as there is treatment available in the public health sector.

If blood flow to the brain is blocked or there is sudden bleeding in the brain, a stroke can happen. There are two types of strokes. An ischemic stroke which is a stroke that happens because blood flow to the brain is blocked while a hemorrhagic stroke occurs when there is sudden bleeding in the brain.

Symptoms of stroke include the sudden onset of numbness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body; confusion, difficulty speaking or understanding speech; difficulty seeing with one or both eyes; difficulty walking, dizziness and/or loss of balance or coordination; severe headache with no known cause and fainting or unconsciousness.

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Tags: Steve Biko Academic Hospital