As this man learned, prompt treatment after a stroke is crucial, but poll finds Ontarians are not very aware of the warning signs

Carmi Levy was a physically active 46-year-old when she suffered a stroke in August 2013.

During a long bike ride on a hot summer day, I twisted my neck while making a U-turn and initially got a severe headache, which worsened a few hours later when I got home.

“I fell, and from that moment on it was clear that something seriously wrong had happened, because when I fell I felt myself going down like an elevator,” said Levy, a technology journalist from London, Ontario.

He said he had lost feeling and movement on his right side and could only speak in one syllable.

Levy's wife, a teacher, is stroke-trained and knew what was happening. She told the kids to call 911.

Medical experts say getting prompt treatment like Levy's is crucial for stroke victims.

But when it comes to identifying the signs that someone is having a stroke — and needing emergency treatment — a new poll shows the majority of Ontarians still have a long way to go.

A Heart and Stroke Association survey released Tuesday during Stroke Awareness Month in June found that only 37 percent of people surveyed statewide recognized at least two of the elements of FAST, an acronym-based campaign the foundation launched 10 years ago to raise awareness.

That means:

● Face: Is it drooping?
● Arms: Can you raise both?
● Speech: Is the speech unclear or incoherent?
● Call 911 immediately.

According to the survey, Ontario had the highest percentage of respondents who had never noticed any signs of stroke, at 37 per cent.

“40% of strokes [in Canada] That's what's happening in Ontario,” said Patrice Lindsay, stroke best practice strategy lead at the Heart and Stroke Institute.

Across Canada, 44 per cent of respondents could name two or more signs — a number that has nearly doubled in the past decade, according to the foundation.

The study comes amid a rise in stroke rates in Canada, including among younger people: More than 108,000 strokes occur among Canadians annually, roughly one every five minutes, according to a study funded by the Heart and Stroke Institute.

Ms Lindsay, who suffered a stroke herself at the age of 38, said time was of the essence in treating strokes because blocked or leaking blood vessels anywhere in the body can deprive the brain of oxygen and nutrients.

“Brain cells begin to die at a rate of 1.9 million per minute, affecting functions such as movement, speech, facial muscles, balance and vision,” she said.

“All of these things could be affected, and the longer we wait, the less likely we are to be able to reverse the changes, or even make them permanent.”

Dr. Michael Hill, a neurologist with the Calgary Stroke Program, said progress is being made in coordinating stroke services and improving care across Canada, leading to better outcomes for patients, but he said the first step is raising public awareness.

“When it comes to stroke, time is brain and everyone has to play a role. It starts with someone recognizing the signs of a stroke and calling 911,” Hill said in a news release.

Being able to get treatment so quickly, within that window of opportunity, meant my recovery went pretty well.– Carmi Levy

The poll also found population differences when it came to awareness of the signs of stroke, with women and older Canadians being more aware and newcomers and people of South Asian, Black, Indigenous and other communities being less aware.

“This is very worrying because these people tend to be at higher risk for stroke overall,” Lindsay said.

When it comes to stroke prevention in the first place, according to the Heart and Stroke Association, up to 80 percent of strokes can be prevented through healthy lifestyle choices.

“High blood pressure… is the biggest risk factor for stroke, so know your numbers,” Lindsay says, adding that things like walking briskly and cutting down on fast and processed foods can make a big difference.

'A golden opportunity'

In Levi's case, doctors informed him that an artery had ruptured while he was cycling one day in August, causing a stroke.

After receiving immediate treatment, he made a near-full recovery, and while he still has some difficulty maintaining his balance more than a decade later, he says he was able to avert a crisis.

“The fact that I was able to get treatment so quickly, in that window of opportunity, meant that my recovery was pretty good,” Levy said.

The Heart & Stroke Poll on Stroke Signs was released on Tuesday, June 4, 2024. Conducted by Environics Research Group, the poll surveyed 3,846 Canadian residents between November 29 and December 31, 2023. The sample size in Ontario was 785. Respondents were selected from an online panel and results were weighted to reflect census data.