The number of people suffering strokes is expected to rise by 33 per cent by 2028. Photo / Getty Images
The number of people suffering strokes is expected to rise by 33 per cent by 2028. Photo / Getty Images
A stroke turned Stuart Gray's life upside down.
Now the support worker is experiencing life on the other side of his job. He is wheelchair-bound but is 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.
In August last year, Gray 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 as 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.
Lakes DHB lead stroke physician Dr Denise Moraw said the rise wasn't as high due to small population growth. Photo / File
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, Lakes District Health Board lead stroke physician Dr Denise Moraw told the Rotorua Daily Post.
"The main driver for the difference between the growth in the number of expected strokes in Lakes versus Bay of Plenty is the anticipated population growth in Bay of Plenty, whereas Lakes is not anticipated to have significant population growth over this time."
Age is a big risk factor for strokes and Moraw said she was seeing an increasing trend in people taking longer to present to a hospital than before.
An audit about the mean time between the onset of symptoms and arrival at a hospital showed people were taking almost twice as long to go to hospital this year.
Last year the average time was 112 minutes, this year it was 221 minutes.
"This is concerning because for patients with stroke, earlier presentation to hospital means more potential treatment options and a better likelihood of success for treatment," Moraw said.
"And successful treatment results in less long-term disability."
Lifestyle factors such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, raised body mass index, and physical inactivity were also contributing to the rise of people experiencing strokes, Moraw said.
"Over time, acute stroke treatment at Lakes DHB has improved, with access to an organised acute stroke service including treatment with IV thrombolysis and stroke clot retrieval for suitable patients."
Stroke Foundation midlands general manager Cee Kay. Photo / Supplied
Stroke Foundation midlands general manager Cee Kay said while 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.
