Stroke is one of the leading causes of mortality and lifelong disability in India attributing to around 30% of the overall morbidity. It is estimated that every 40 seconds someone suffers from a stroke and a person dies of a stroke every four minutes globally.
With advancements in the field of treatment of stroke, patients arriving at a hospital within the window period after a stroke can not only be treated but the condition can be reversed in most cases.
North India’s leading healthcare provider, Max Super Specialty Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, New Delhi organized a public health awareness session on stroke, its symptoms, and treatment options Sonipat today.
Brain stroke is the 2nd leading cause of mortality and the leading cause of long-term disability.
A stroke happens when blood vessels in the brain get rupture or get blocked causing the blood supply in the brain to be obstructed.
While timely treatment can reduce the damage caused, it is important for the patients to recognize the early symptoms and get to a super hospital quickly. Thousands of stroke patients have been successfully treated at Max Hospital Shalimar Bagh, New Delhi who have arrived within the window period of 4 to 6.5 hours, thereby saving lives and preventing permanent disability.
The public session was orated by Dr Manoj Khanal – Associate Director & Unit Head – Neurology and Dr Shailesh Jain – Principal Consultant – Neuro & Spine Surgery and Neuro-Intervention at Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh
Maintaining an active lifestyle, consuming healthy food, and checking blood pressure in check can help in lowering the risks of stroke.
“With the lifestyle changes and adoption of unhealthy habits like lack of physical exercise, smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption, new cases of stroke are likely to be seen in the younger generation of the country. In this fast pace of life advent of technology has made our life easier, but also has reduced the amount of physical activity. Due to increased stress as well as rising incidences of diabetes and hypertension, there is a sudden shift in the age bracket of developing lifestyle ailments. Regular exercise not only helps in maintaining overall health but also keeps at bay a list full of diseases. There are lot of ways to stay active, even if you find it difficult to move around,” Said Dr Manoj Khanal, Associate Director & Unit Head – Neurology, Max Hospital Shalimar Bagh, New Delhi.
Every year an estimated 16 lakh Indians suffer brain stroke, with a mortality rate of over 6 lakhs, and out of those who survive, around 45% of them have to cope up with serious permanent impairment. Stroke is no longer a disease of the elderly. Over 20-30% of all stroke cases in India occur in people under the age bracket of 45 years.
“Outcome of acute stroke depends primarily on the initiation time of treatment, thus making early arrival of the patients to the hospital one of the most vital factors. This means early identification and awareness of stroke is important. Patients arriving within the window period after a stroke can not only be treated but the condition can be reversed in most cases. Being, minimally invasive, stroke thrombectomy is an established first line of emergency treatment that is highly effective and safe. The treatment restores blood flow to the brain by opening blocked arteries with catheter-based devices introduced through the groin or wrist arteries and saves brain tissue from permanent damage,” Said Dr Shailesh Jain – Principal Consultant – Neuro & Spine Surgery and Neuro – Intervention, Max Hospital Shalimar Bagh, New Delhi.
There is a need to spread awareness about the symptoms of stroke — facial drooping, arm weakness, and speech difficulties — and the importance of timely intervention should be made more prominent among the masses. Delay of every minute in seeking the right treatment can cause significant damage to the brain. The golden window period to arrive at a stroke unit should be within six hours of a stroke attack, delaying which would lead to irreversible damage causing permanent disability in around 80% of the cases.
Stressing the need for stroke patients to reach a super specialty hospital, Dr Khanal said: “Stroke is treatable. Early recognition of symptoms and reaching the right hospital make a big difference in the treatment outcome. We encourage the public to recognize and learn the signs of stroke – BEFAST (Balance problems; Eye problems leading to vision loss; Face drooping; Arm weakness; Speech slurred; Time to call an ambulance) and take immediate action.