Stroke: man discovered he had one after losing the ability to read.

A 63-year-old man in Midlothian lost the ability to read and was diagnosed the next day with a haemorrhagic stroke; he is recovering and has joined a British Heart Foundation‑funded trial testing antiplatelet drugs.

A 63-year-old man from Bonnyrigg, Midlothian, experienced a sudden inability to recognise written words while at home and initially assumed he was tired. The following day a relative took him to A&E, where scans showed a haemorrhagic stroke. This reading difficulty is a rare symptom that affects fewer than one percent of people at the time of a stroke. He is now receiving care and has enrolled in a clinical trial seeking better evidence on treatments after haemorrhagic stroke. Known details: - The man suddenly could see printed words clearly but could not understand them, and had no classic FAST signs such as facial droop, arm weakness or slurred speech at the time. - He attended A&E the next day and was diagnosed with a haemorrhagic (bleeding) stroke. - Experts report difficulty recognising written words alone occurs in under 1% of stroke cases. - He is taking part in a British Heart Foundation‑funded trial at the University of Edinburgh testing antiplatelet drugs such as clopidogrel and aspirin after haemorrhagic stroke. Summary: The case highlights a rare stroke presentation where loss of the ability to read was the main symptom, while other typical signs were absent. He is recovering with some lingering reading and word-finding difficulties and is participating in a trial that will gather further evidence on whether antiplatelet drugs can affect future stroke risk.