Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country with over 190 million people likewise the largest economy. Though there are no accurate statistics of persons suffering stroke disease over the years and even if one were, it is likely that only people who reached hospitals would have their data included. But there is an estimation that Two Hundred thousand persons (200,000) suffer stroke yearly in Nigeria.
By George Scola
26th April 2008 was a Saturday morning and I was in the process of moving house when I began feeling dizzy, I leaned up against a wall, then proceeded to go down on to my haunches as I wanted to sit on my butt. At this point, I was not able to use my right arm to lift my right leg and it was at that particular moment that I realized something was seriously wrong. I was 37 years old at the time!
I was rushed to the hospital and received tPA (tissue plasminogen activator) treatment within 2-3 hours and remained in a hospital for a further 8 weeks for rehabilitation as fortunately, I had a private medical insurance. Read More
Fiona Anthony, CEO HSFB
The Heart & Stroke Foundation of Barbados Inc. (HSFB) is a non-profit organization registered under the Companies Act 1982 of Barbados registration number 269 and under the Charities Act 1979-2 registration number 82. The Foundation came to fruition thanks to the shared initiatives of The Lions Club of Barbados South, through its Health and Social Services Committee, then under the chairmanship of Mr. H. (Dru) Symmonds SCM, J.P., and the then Dr Trevor Hassell, Cardiologist, who was at that time Head of the Department of Medicine and of the Cardiac Unit, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Barbados. The Foundation was founded in 1985 as the Heart Foundation of Barbados and in 2006 embraced stroke prevention and management to become the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Barbados. Read More
By Stephen Davis, Director, Melbourne Brain Centre at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and the University of Melbourne
Immediate Past-President, World Stroke Organization
Stroke in young adults is common. Around 15%-20% occur in young adults and adolescents. When I am the consultant on stroke service at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, I am often struck by the large number of young stroke patients, frequently with photos of their children by the bedside and poignant family discussions about prognosis and the impact on their lifestyle. Read More
By Abiodun E. Akinwuntan
With improving care due to more knowledge, early detection, medication, and better care protocols, especially in the acute phase, survival of a stroke incidence is increasing. Such care has seen stroke dropping from the third leading cause of death to the fifth in the United States. While current efforts at increasing chances of surviving a stroke occurrence are highly commendable, such efforts need to progress to ensuring the highest quality of life for the survivors. Read More
By Sharon McGowan, Stroke Foundation Chief Executive Officer
“Daddy, why isn’t your hand working? Daddy why are you getting shoes and socks mixed up?” Oscar, 4.
Far too many young Australians are having strokes. This devastating disease turns lives upside down at a time when many people are just starting to lay the foundations for their future. Families can be thrown into turmoil and careers can be cut short. Read More
By Emma Power
The Sydney Sexuality Group is a multidisciplinary research team based primarily at the University of Sydney with the aims of facilitating improved outcomes around intimacy and sexuality for people with acquired disabilities, especially stroke and younger stroke survivors. Our prior work includes examining the impact of stroke on female sexuality and clinician’s perspectives of addressing sexuality after stroke with survivors. Read More
Authors: Natasha A Lannin (pictured below); Craig S Anderson; Joosup Kim; Monique Kilkenny; Julie Bernhardt; Chris Levi; Helen M. Dewey; Chris Bladin; Peter Hand, Helen Castley, Kelvin Hill; Steven Faux; Rohan Grimley; Brenda Grabsch; Sandy Middleton; Geoffrey Donnan, Dominique A Cadilhac.
“In this paper, we found that younger stroke patients were more likely to be of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island origin compared to older patients (4% vs. 1%) which may in fact reflect the proportions seen across the general Australian population, but it could be indicative of a higher incidence of stroke in younger Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. Perhaps our thinking around this is because we acknowledge that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are disproportionately affected bycardiovascular disease; currently, however, what is less clear from large epidemiological samples is the incidence and proportions of stroke. Read More
On Tuesday 24 October 2017, twenty eight consumers and twenty seven researchers met for a Stroke Research Consumer Forum. Almost half of the consumers were young stroke survivors. Two stroke survivors were involved in the planning of the day and one helped facilitate the day.
The event was an initiative of the Centre of Research Excellence (CRE) in Stroke Rehabilitation and Brain Recovery. The CRE is funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). Read More
By Nick Rushworth, Executive Officer
Whenever I speak about brain injury it’s always with stroke as its largest subgroup. At the same time, I’m ashamed to admit that Brain Injury Australia has done next-to-no stroke advocacy, focussing instead on traumatic brain injury. But whenever Brain Injury Australia has been held to account for this blind spot in its advocacy, it’s invariably been at the hands of young strokes – who end up in with Brain Injury Australia as an advocate of last resort, frustrated by one or all of the acute care they didn’t get, the rehabilitation they didn’t get enough of, or the dearth of age-appropriate supports in the community. Read More
