Awareness of stroke signs and symptoms among high-risk individuals in the Makkah Region, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate overall public awareness and determine knowledge gap in the early recognition of signs and symptoms of stroke among high-risk individuals in the Makkah region, and to assess the role of the physicians as a source of that knowledge. Methods: This cross-sectional study measured stroke awareness based on knowledge of warning signs and symptoms among high-risk patients in Makkah region during August 2021, using a previously validated survey through social media. Results: A total of 450 individuals were contacted, of which 292 participants were included in the study. Majority of the participants were female, aged 40–60 years, and were university educated. However, 69% were not aware of the signs and symptoms of stroke, only 37.7% were able to correctly identify limbs weakness as a symptom, and 63.7% had chosen loss of consciousness as the most common sign. Further, only 9.4% reported physicians to be the source of relevant information, while 57% chose the internet and social media. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that there is lack of awareness about the signs and symptoms of stroke in high-risk patients and that many participants possessed misguided information with significant absence of input from a physician.