The Irish Heart Foundation has urged women to be vigilant about the warning signs of stroke, after recent statistics revealed that 53% more women than men died from stroke here in 2012.

The annual number of stroke deaths in Ireland has fallen below the 2,000 mark for the first time in years following a 9% fall in mortality in the past four years.

Central Statistics Office figures showed the number of deaths nationally fell by 188 to 1,928 to the end of 2012 despite our ageing population and a dramatic increase globally in the incidence of the disease, fhe Foundation points out.

The figures also confirmed, however, that almost twice as many women as men died from stroke.

"The higher death rate from stroke among women is not widely known. The fact is that stroke kills almost twice as many women as breast cancer in Ireland, which is why we are particularly asking women to make a special effort to be aware of the 'FAST' warning signs", Chris Macey from the Irish Heart Foundation said

F.A.S.T. stands for:

Face – has their face fallen on one side?
Arms – can they raise both arms and keep them there?
Speech – is their speech slurred?
Time – time to call 999 if you see any one of these signs.

The Foundation says by knowing the warning signs, and acting on them as soon as possible, people can have a huge influence on their outcome after stroke.

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