The number of people suffering strokes is expected to rise by 43 per cent by 2028. Photo / Getty Images
The number of people suffering strokes is expected to rise by 43 per cent by 2028. Photo / Getty Images
A stroke turned Stuart Gray's life upside down.
The support worker is experiencing life on the other side of his job. He is in a wheelchair but determined to walk again.
"I'm gonna beat this. A positive outlook, a positive attitude makes me know I'm gonna do this."
A strokeis a "brain attack" when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off causing it to stop working and eventually damaging brain cells.
During a stroke, the cells in the affected part of the brain start to die and that part of the brain cannot work properly. This can affect a person's ability to walk, talk, eat, see, read, socialise or do things they were able to do before the stroke.
The number of people who suffer strokes in the Bay of Plenty is projected to rise by 43 per cent by 2028, 3 per cent more than the national figure.
Currently, 400 people suffer a stroke in the Bay of Plenty District Health Board area, every year. Gray was one of them in August last year when he experienced what felt like a push in the back.
"It threw me on the ground. I'd wondered what had happened and I should've gone to hospital there and then."
Gray waited until the next day to seek medical attention because his speech wasn't slurred and his face didn't slouch - both symptoms of a stroke.
"But I knew something wasn't right."
Since then, Gray, a support worker, has seen life on the other side of his job, forcing his body to learn how to walk again. However, he is still a long way off.
"I'm in care 24/7 which I need because I can't look after myself. My mobility is very minimal.
"If I was to go to Bayfair [a 250m walk from where he now resides], I'd have to leave 10 hours in advance."
Through all his pain, Gray says he wouldn't wish his journey on anyone.
"If somebody had told me to 'change your lifestyle now', I would have."
Gray believes his excessive smoking, drinking and being overweight all contributed to the stroke.
He feels like a broken mirror and he is trying to put all the pieces back together.
"But there are so many pieces."
The projected rise in strokes could be partly attributed to the ageing population, Bay of Plenty District Health Board stroke consultant Dr Mohana Maddula told NZME.
Bay of Plenty District Health Board stroke consultant Dr Mohana Maddula. Photo / File
Twenty per cent of people in the region are above age 65, more than the national average.
Although age is a big risk factor for strokes, Maddula said he was seeing an increasing trend in middle-aged people experiencing a stroke.
"There is an increase in people living with cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
"Those things are becoming more prevalent in general communities. People may or may not be aware they have it and if they're not aware, then they aren't treated."
Maddula said lifestyle factors such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, raised body mass index, and physical inactivity were also contributing to the increase and prevention was the key.
"One thing that we should encourage everyone to do is to try to lead as much a healthy lifestyle as possible."
That included exercise, maintaining a healthy weight and stopping smoking and drinking.
For those more at risk due to ethnicity, or family history, it was important to have regular blood checks, he said.
"We need a system-wide strategy, starting with prevention, through to early reperfusion treatment [restoring blood flow] after stroke to limit the extent of brain injury, and finally to help people recover from their stroke by restoring function or by helping them to live with the effects of stroke."
Maddula said recognising the early symptoms of stroke and acting immediately would improve a person's odds against death or disability.
"In most cases, this will involve coming to the hospital by ambulance to be assessed for clot-busting and clot-removal treatment.
"Treatment is extremely time-critical, so the earlier we do that, the more effective it can be."
Stroke Foundation midlands general manager Cee Kay. Photo / Supplied
Stroke Foundation midlands general manager Cee Kay said although the numbers of people surviving a stroke have improved the result was more people left with stroke-related disabilities.
"The cost of a stroke on the New Zealand economy is significant and of concern but equally significant is the burden on informal caregivers and quality of life for stroke survivors."
The foundation works to connect people with services and help whānau and people affected by the disease.
Kay said one person, every hour would experience a stroke across the country, but more than 75 per cent of strokes were preventable if causes such as excessive alcohol consumption and high blood pressure were addressed.
