In 21.2 percent of cases, a fall was the reason for the call to the emergency services.
Subtle symptoms, however, were rarely mentioned, with numbness reported in 7.8 percent of cases and dizziness in 5.6 percent of cases.
Only 19.8 percent of callers mentioned stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA), a mini stroke, as the possible cause of the health issue.
“The infrequent use of the phrase ‘stroke’ in calls to dispatchers is a hint for insufficient knowledge about stroke symptoms in the population of our study area,” said Doctor Handschu.