The Stroke Foundation is urging WA residents to take control of their health and reduce their stroke risk as part of National Stroke Week from September 3 – 9.
In Australia, there will be 56,000 strokes this year alone, which is one every nine minutes. More than 5,000 of those strokes will be experienced by residents in WA.
Stroke Foundation Western Australia state manager Jonine Collins said the burden of stroke has grown quickly over the last two decades and there is a trend of younger people having strokes.
“Twenty strokes each day are happening to people of working age, but it does not have to be this way,” Ms Collins said.
“Stroke can impact anyone of any age, but the good news is more than 80 percent of strokes may be prevented.”
Stroke attacks the brain, the human control centre and it can strike in an instant.
You can reduce your chance of having a stroke by staying active, eating well, drinking plenty of water, limiting your alcohol intake and by quitting smoking.
Ms Collins said we must act now to reduce our own stroke risk.
“We can make the choice to step up this National Stroke Week and discover how easy it is to fit healthy habits into our daily routine to reduce our stroke risk,’’ she said.
“In addition to an aging population, research tells us our modern lifestyle is putting us at greater risk of stroke and other chronic disease. As a society, we aren’t getting enough exercise and don’t always make the right decisions regarding diet.
“As a first step, I encourage WA residents to visit their GP for a health check.”
