A stroke survivor whose only symptom was an inability to read has urged the public to recognize rare signs of the condition.
Gordon Robb, 63, experienced a brain hemorrhage but was reluctant to seek emergency care because he did not show typical symptoms such as facial weakness, arm weakness or speech problems.
Instead, he found that the words – including emails, Ryder Cup text messages and an ATM screen – appeared to be written in a foreign language.
He had decided to make an appointment with his family doctor, but a cousin insisted on going to the emergency room, where it was learned that he had suffered a hemorrhagic stroke.
Experts said that difficulty recognizing written words on its own, without other symptoms, affects less than one percent of people at the time of stroke.
Now Robb, a former vice-president of a biotechnology company, is taking part in a new clinical trial funded by the British Heart Foundation and led by academics at the University of Edinburgh in a bid to prevent future strokes.
Researchers are examining whether clopidogrel or aspirin, which are medications that reduce the risk of blood clotting, can prevent future strokes, heart attacks, and premature deaths in people who have had a hemorrhagic stroke.
Mr Robb, from Bonnyrigg in Midlothian, Scotland, is taking clopidogrel as part of the trial.
The passionate cyclist and runner suffered a stroke in September last year.
His symptoms are improving, although it takes him longer to read now compared to before the stroke and he sometimes cannot find the right word during a conversation.
“I'm incredibly lucky and I honestly felt like a fraud in the stroke ward because it was no different than how I normally am, except I suddenly couldn't read the words,” he said.
“I knew some of the classic signs of a stroke, such as facial weakness, inability to raise your arms or speech problems, but I didn't have any of these.
“It just shows the importance of paying attention to unusual symptoms, even if they're not ones you've heard of before.
“If I hadn't gone to the hospital and received treatment quickly, I could have been walking around with a ticking time bomb on my head.”
Recalling his stroke, he said: “I was in the garden, I went in to have a cup of tea, I listened to music and checked my emails on my phone, and it was like they were in a foreign language.
“I could see them clearly and see whose they were, but the words meant nothing to me.
“I just assumed he was tired because he had been up late the night before.
“When my friends sent me messages about the Ryder Cup that night and I couldn't see the messages, I just went to bed early.”
The next day, after failing to read the instructions on an ATM, he decided to see his family doctor.
But his cousin, whose husband had died of a sudden stroke just three weeks earlier, drove straight to his house and insisted on taking him to the ER.
It was there that he discovered he had a hemorrhagic stroke.
While in hospital, he signed up for the new trial, led by Professor Rustam Al-Shahi Salman of the University of Edinburgh.
Professor Salman said: “It has been difficult to overcome the instinctive fear that if people have had a haemorrhagic stroke, taking aspirin or a similar medicine could cause more bleeding.
“That's why we were very relieved when our research showed that these medications are safe after a hemorrhagic stroke.
“The Aspiring study will gather more evidence to establish whether aspirin and clopidogrel can help reduce the risk of future strokes and heart attacks, and potentially save the lives of people like Gordon who have suffered a haemorrhagic stroke.
“I think there is a lot more to do to help these people, whose lives have been turned upside down and who may be worried about the future.”
Mr Robb said: “Being involved in this trial gives me some peace of mind that this medicine may reduce my risk of having another stroke.
“But it's also great to know that taking part could help improve treatment for people like me in the future and relieve pressure on the health system.
“I feel very lucky that I didn't have more long-term effects from my stroke and that I had the opportunity to try to help improve treatments.”
Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, clinical director at the British Heart Foundation, added: “Facial weakness, weakness in the arms or legs and speech problems are well-known signs that you or your loved one may be having a stroke, but there are some lesser-known symptoms, such as the inability to recognize the written word.
“If you have a symptom that you think is wrong, no matter how strange or unusual, it is very important to seek help. Every minute matters if you may be having a stroke or other medical emergency.
“We know that stroke survivors often fear having another stroke and how disabling this could be. That's why the BHF is funding clinical trials such as Aspiring, which will test whether prescribing antiplatelet drugs could protect more people.”
