8 Myths About Stroke

Separating fact from fiction can make a big difference in a person’s recovery

Kimberly Goad,

AARP

Reviewed by

Orly Avitzur, M.D.

Comments

En español

Published July 03, 2025

collage of woman rubbing her head with a clip board, a brain scan, heart scan, and a bottle of pills

When people are misinformed about the causes and impacts of stroke and how to respond, time can be lost.

Cut It Out Design

Every year, close to 800,000 people in the U.S. have a stroke — that’s one every 40 seconds. If those stats are hard to wrap your head around, consider this: Many don’t get treatment quickly enough. Perhaps they didn’t recognize the signs of a stroke; or they chose to take a wait-and-see approach, hoping the symptoms would subside; or they didn’t notice symptoms at all (that’s known as a “silent stroke”).

That lost time is a big deal and here’s why: “Early recognition of symptoms is key to receiving time-sensitive treatment for stroke, which is directly related to better outcomes,” says Deepak Gulati, M.D., a neurologist specializing in treating stroke patients at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center’s Comprehensive Stroke Center.

Some of the delay in getting appropriate care is because of a handful of myths people believe about stroke. Here are eight important ones worth debunking.

Myth #1: Strokes happen only to older people

Anybody at any age can have a stroke. Granted, “the risk of stroke goes up rapidly after 50,” says Mitchell Elkind, M.D., chief clinical science officer at the American Heart Association. “But in recent years we’ve seen an increase in the number of strokes in people ages 20 to 50 as well. This is probably due to the obesity epidemic, diabetes, metabolic disease and related cardiovascular disease.”

Know the warning signs of stroke:

B – balance loss

E – eyesight changes

F – face drooping

A – arm weakness

S – speech difficulty

T – time to call 911

But risk certainly goes up with age. Stroke rates double every 10 years after age 55. Around three-quarters of all strokes occur in people 65 and older.

“As we age, our blood vessels and heart age, and they don’t function as well,” Elkind explains. A buildup of fats, cholesterol and other substances in and on the artery walls “can block blood vessels. Aging hearts can develop atrial fibrillation (AFib), a heart rhythm disturbance that can lead to clots that travel to the brain. Atrial fibrillation may account for as many as one-quarter of strokes in older people.”

Myth #2: Ministrokes are no cause for concern

A temporary blockage of blood flow to the brain is known as a transient ischemic attack (TIA), also called a ministroke. Because the blockage is temporary — the clot dissolves on its own or gets dislodged — symptoms usually disappear within an hour or so. That makes it easy to miss or disregard symptoms, which include sudden blindness in one or both eyes, dizziness or a severe headache with no apparent cause, in addition to common signs of stroke. That’s a mistake.

“TIAs are a harbinger of stroke,” Elkind says. “Ten percent of people with TIA will have a stroke within two days. Up to 25 percent will have a stroke or major cardiovascular event within 90 days. It’s essential to be evaluated after a TIA to identify the cause and treat it to prevent stroke.”

Even if a TIA doesn’t result in a stroke, it’s still far from benign. A study published in 2025 in JAMA Neurology looked at study participants’ performance on cognitive tests after a TIA. Although TIA patients were cognitively better off than those who had suffered full-blown strokes, over an average of 14 years, both groups experienced cognitive decline and at equally steep rates.

Myth #3: Women and men experience the same symptoms of stroke

Both sexes experience the most common symptoms, but women can experience more generalized symptoms that are less likely to be taken seriously. These include fainting, sudden general weakness and shortness of breath, confusion, agitation and even nausea.

Myth #4: Strokes are as unpredictable as a bolt of lightning

The idea that there is nothing you can do to lower your risk for stroke and that the damage is irreversible is arguably the greatest stroke myth of all, Elkind says.

“While genetic factors can contribute to stroke risk, up to 80 percent of strokes are preventable by managing risk factors,” says Gulati. The manageable ones include high blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels, as well as smoking and obesity.

Myth #5: Strokes don’t run in families

They do, in a couple of different ways. There are genetic conditions — like sickle cell disease — that boost the risk for stroke. There are also genetic causes of conventional stroke risk factors, such as AFib, elevated cholesterol and blood sugar levels, and high blood pressure.

But just because you’re genetically predisposed to stroke doesn’t make it inevitable. For one thing, “there are now treatments for sickle cell disease that can be used to prevent stroke,” Elkind says.

“Even people who have an increased risk of stroke due to heredity can reduce that risk through engaging in healthy lifestyles: avoiding tobacco; eating healthy, nutritious food; getting at least 150 minutes of exercise weekly; and checking their blood pressure. Genetic factors may increase risk, but they don’t determine it,” he says.

Myth #6: You can treat a stroke by taking aspirin at the first symptom

“It is not recommended to take aspirin,” Gulati says.

Here’s why: Aspirin, a blood thinner that helps prevent clotting, can be beneficial if you’re experiencing an ischemic stroke, which occurs when blood flow to the brain is blocked or reduced. But that’s not the case with hemorrhagic strokes, which happen when a weakened blood vessel ruptures in or on the surface of the brain, causing bleeding.

“Both types of stroke can produce similar symptoms, making it difficult to distinguish between them based on symptoms alone,” Gulati says. “A CT scan of the brain is typically required to identify the type of stroke.”

If you think you’re experiencing a stroke, reach for the phone — not the aspirin bottle—and call 911.

Myth #7: Stroke always causes paralysis

While weakness or paralysis happens in up to 80 percent of people who have a stroke, it’s not a given.

“Stroke symptoms depend on which part of the brain is affected,” Gulati says. “For example, if the area that controls speech is involved, the only symptom might be trouble speaking. Other strokes might cause problems with vision, balance or numbness instead. That’s why it’s important to know all the warning signs of a stroke.”

Myth #8 You can’t recover from a stroke

Recovery depends on the severity of stroke, the area of the brain affected and the timeliness of treatment. The person’s overall health and age matter too. According to the American Stroke Association, about 40 percent of stroke survivors experience moderate to severe impairments. Around 10 percent require care in a nursing home or other long-term care facility.

“Stroke science has advanced dramatically in the past decade,” Elkind says. “We now have several ways to dissolve and remove clots that cause stroke, and they can be effective even when given up to 24 hours or more after stroke. We have clot-busting medications — like tPA [tissue plasminogen activator] and tenecteplase — that dissolve clots. And we have intravascular procedures, like thrombectomy, that can be used to pull clots from the brains of patients having a stroke. The benefits are impressive.”

Rehab plays a critical role too. Rehabilitation — which usually consists of some mix of speech, occupational and physical therapy — begins in the hospital within 48 hours of a stroke.

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Kimberly Goad is a New York-based journalist who has covered health for some of the nation’s top consumer publications. Her work has appeared in Women’s Health, Prevention, Health and Reader’s Digest.

Orly Avitzur, M.D., a former president of the American Academy of Neurology, is a practicing neurologist in Tarrytown, New York, and is working on a medical memoir, A Very Good Brain. She is a former medical director at Consumer Reports and a past editor in chief of Brain & Life magazine.