Due to the lack of ability to recognize the symptoms of strokes, many people are losing their lives needlessly, and are being left to lead an impaired life. According to Mark Vivian, Stroke Foundation Chief Executive, only one symptom of stroke can be named by 27% of the New Zealanders.

These named symptoms, include a sagging face, one weak arm and a slurred speech. And on the other hand, one-third of the surveyed people could not list even a single symptom. This research was carried out by Colmar Brunton.

With this, Mr. Vivian added that now, the damage caused by the stroke can be reduced to a great extent with the help of a stroke treatment known as TPA (Tissue plasminogen activator). This treatment can give a rapid recovery to the patients, if it is administered within a duration of four hours of an ischemic stroke's onset.

The stroke is caused because of a clot in a human body. The TPA, through an intravenous line, is injected into the bloodstream. From there, it travels in the blood and reaches that clot to break it apart. With this, the blood is allowed to flow freely towards the affected areas.

Mr. Vivian said, “A treatment called TPA helps break down a blood clot in the case of an ischaemic stroke, and can greatly reduce the damage caused. This in turn impacts on how quickly and how much a person recovers”.