The Belgian Stroke Council launched a campaign on Wednesday to raise awareness of the often-overlooked hearing and speech warning signs of stroke, as figures suggest that many people in Belgium still struggle to recognise the condition.
The organisation, which specialises in stroke research and prevention, said about 30,000 people suffer a stroke in Belgium each year. However, a recent survey of 546 people found major gaps in public understanding.
A stroke is a medical emergency caused by a sudden interruption of blood flow to the brain, and although 52% of respondents said they could explain what a stroke is, 44% did not know it affects the brain and 30% confused it with a heart problem.
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Recognising the symptoms also remains a challenge. Only 2% of those surveyed identified all 12 warning signs presented to them, while nearly half, 49%, recognised four or fewer.
The council said speech and language problems are much less well known than signs such as facial drooping or paralysis in a limb. Only 15% of respondents identified all four auditory symptoms listed in the survey. Those signs included suddenly struggling to find words, difficulty speaking clearly, using inappropriate words, or abruptly stopping in the middle of a sentence.
To mark World Stroke Day on Thursday, the Belgian Stroke Council will broadcast radio adverts in which the message suddenly loses coherence. The aim is to give listeners a concrete example of the speech and language problems linked to stroke and help the public recognise them.
The organisation said the message is simple: if these signs appear, people should call 112 immediately, because every second counts.
