Stroke myth

According to the Stroke Survivors Foundation Stroke is among the top three causes of death and a leading cause of disability in South Africa.

Coming Home Organisation is on a mission to educate the broader public about stroke and shift the wrong mentality that people have about this disease.

Yet, there are many misconceptions about this serious medical emergency. Let’s separate fact from fiction as we debunk some common stroke myths.

• MYTH: You are bewitched if you have a stroke!
  • False – Having a stroke is definitely not because you have been bewitched!
• MYTH: Women are immune to having a stroke
  • False – A stroke does NOT discriminate from age, gender or race.
• MYTH: Strokes only happen to elderly people.
  • False – The older you get, the risk for stroke increases, there’s also an increasing number of strokes in people between the ages of 18 and 65.  Stroke also occurs with children and unborn fetuses

Stroke myth: Strokes are rare.

• • False – Stroke statistics reveal that strokes are quite common. 1 in 4 people will have a stroke in their lifetime (WSO, 2019)
• MYTH: A stroke takes place in the heart.
  • False – A stroke takes place in the brain. If the blood supply to the neurons in the brain is cut off either because of a blood clot or bleeding or a disease of the blood vessels, those neurons die and a stroke occurs.
• MYTH: Strokes are not preventable.
  • False – A study examined risk factors and found that 90 percent of strokes can be attributed to vascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity, all of which are preventable.

·         Stroke myth: Strokes cannot be treated.

• • False – The vast majority of strokes are ischemic (clot), and they can be treated. If a person gets to a hospital within 4 hours of the onset, clot-busting medication can be administered.
• MYTH: The most common sign of a stroke is pain.
  • False – Only about 30 percent of people will have a headache with ischemic stroke, so pain isn’t a reliable symptom.
• MYTH: Strokes aren’t hereditary.
  • False – Strokes do run in families, the vascular risk factors for stroke, such as hypertension, diabetes, and obesity, all have a genetic component.

·         Stroke myth: If stroke symptoms pass, you don’t need treatment.

• • False – When someone has temporary symptoms of stroke, called a transient ischemic attack or a mini-stroke (TIA), it’s also a medical emergency! The difference between TIA and stroke is that the blood vessel that was blocked during a TIA opens before it causes permanent damage. A TIA should consider a definite warning sign.
• MYTH: Smoking doesn’t affect your chances of having a stroke.
  • False – Smoking is one of the biggest risk factors for stroke, especially in younger people, this is true for both ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes, as well as first-time and recurrent strokes.
• MYTH: Post-stroke recovery only happens in the first few months.
  • False – While most of the healing takes place in the first few months, recovery can span over several years, and people can benefit from physical therapy and other treatments a few years after a stroke.
  • there is more to stroke and you need to look into the different stroke myths to make sure you are on the right route.