Stroke is a very serious danger in China, according to the Ministry of Health Statistics Information Center published every year, the population detection data, the national urban and rural residents, cerebrovascular disease death has jumped to the first or second cause of death in the country. According to the Ministry of Health, every 12 seconds a Chinese person suffers a stroke and every 21 seconds a person dies of stroke. In order to draw the attention of the community to the prevention and treatment of cerebrovascular disease, the Chinese Society of Neurology and the National Office of Cerebrovascular Disease Prevention and Research jointly set November 20 each year as “Stroke Education Day” in China.
The World Stroke Day Declaration says that stroke is entirely preventable, but that aging, inactivity, smoking and fast food are accelerating the growing prevalence of stroke, heart disease, diabetes and vascular cognitive impairment. Without intervention, the population of stroke is expected to double by 2020. Conversely, applying what is already known will save half the population from stroke.
The Declaration states that prevention is the most worthwhile thing to do, especially in developing countries, and that there is a need to encourage healthy lifestyles and the use of effective drugs in primary and secondary prevention. The public is asked to increase awareness of prevention and to work together to control the associated risk factors; to apply the medical resources available to us, to apply scientific methods, and to strengthen the belief and organization of defense against the dangers of stroke.
Let’s take active action and participate in stroke prevention. Turn knowledge of stroke prevention into action to prevent stroke.
What is a stroke?
Stroke occurs when there is a blockage of blood flow to the brain, including blockage of blood vessels (ischemic stroke) and bleeding from a ruptured blood vessel (hemorrhagic stroke). As a result, brain cells are unable to receive the oxygen supply and nutrients needed to maintain normal activity. A portion of the brain cells will be damaged or die. The symptoms depend on the area of the brain affected by the stroke and the severity of the damage.
What is a transient ischemic attack (TIA)?
A transient ischemic attack (TIA) is the same as a stroke in which the patient’s brain does not receive adequate oxygen and blood supply. TIA is a warning sign that a patient is at risk of stroke and needs to be treated as a matter of urgency. Chinese patients are about 4-8% more likely to have a stroke within 1 month, 12-13% more likely to have a stroke within 1 year, and 24-29% more likely to have a stroke within 5 years after a TIA. Within 5 years, it is 7 times more likely.
What do we need to know about stroke education?
Each stroke patient has a different onset and recovery process, so what you need to know about health education will vary. The following may be difficult to understand and remember, so consult a professional if necessary. It is helpful to take notes on key points. Patients and family members can also benefit from talking to someone who knows or has experienced a stroke. Take down the contact details of local health care facilities that have stroke emergency and treatment capabilities in case you need them.
The most common symptoms of stroke include sudden weakness in one limb (with or without the face), unresponsiveness, feeling heavy or numb, numbness or slanting of the mouth on one side of the face, loss of balance, difficulty walking, blurred vision or staring to one side in one or both eyes, lack of balance, difficulty swallowing, difficulty with speech (including slurred speech, inability to find the right words to say or understand what others are saying), impaired consciousness or convulsions, severe headache that was previously rare, vomiting.
If you think you or a family member has had a stroke, contact emergency medical services immediately. If you are taking medication, bring it with you to the hospital.
How can I tell if I or a family member has had a stroke or transient ischemic attack? How can I avoid delays in diagnosis and treatment?
You have the common symptoms of stroke described above. If you suspect that you or a family member has had a stroke, it is recommended that you use the simple “FAST” scoring system to assess yourself. If one of the three is positive, the chance of having a stroke is 72%! Call the emergency services immediately and they will give you a more complete assessment (FAST score is attached to the back cover).
To avoid delays in stroke diagnosis and treatment, we can learn about stroke through health education in the media, hospitals and community health centers, and share our knowledge with friends and relatives who have experienced stroke. If you suspect that you or a family member has had a stroke, do not ignore the condition or rationalize existing symptoms.
If a stroke occurs, what kind of treatment do you receive when you are rushed to the hospital?
When a stroke patient is rushed to the hospital, he or she is transferred to the emergency department and then admitted to the Stroke Unit for systematic and standardized treatment. The Stroke Unit is made up of stroke doctors and nursing specialists who provide standardized stroke treatment and care to help patients restore brain function, reduce stroke damage, treat and prevent complications, and protect patients’ lives.
If a stroke occurs, what tests will I receive when I am rushed to the hospital?
After consultation with a physician, a patient suspected of having a stroke will undergo emergency medical imaging of the head to help identify the type of stroke and the possible cause, as well as imaging to detect the patient’s cerebral blood supply. Common emergency medical imaging tests applied to stroke patients are.
(1) CT scan of the head: CT examinations can help identify the type of stroke (e.g., ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke) and the severity of the stroke;
(2) MRI scan of the head: MRI provides a more detailed and clearer picture of the brain and can be used instead of CT scan for some types of stroke or to further clarify whether the CT scan is correct;
(3) Other tests are: blood tests, chest X-ray, ECG, Doppler ultrasonography, etc.
What kind of treatment and care will we receive if we have a stroke?
The treatment for stroke depends on: the type of stroke; whether you have other clinical symptoms; and the results of a CT head examination.
If I have an ischemic stroke, which drugs will the patient be given directly?
Thrombolytic drugs – If contraindications are ruled out, patients will be given thrombolytic drugs within 3 hours of the thrombolytic time window. If this time is exceeded, the decision to continue with thrombolysis will be made by a specialist on a case-by-case basis, weighing the pros and cons. Thrombolysis is the only treatment that has been recommended by many national studies to reduce the damage to the brain and restore brain function. Therefore, early access to a hospital with thrombolysis conditions after stroke detection, or timely thrombolysis if urgent thrombolysis is not available, is crucial to the prognosis of stroke.
Patients will be given aspirin immediately within 48 hours of stroke and will take it for 14 days. After that, the patient will take small doses of aspirin for life.
What should I do if a stroke patient has swallowing problems?
After assessing the patient’s medical condition, the medical professional will decide whether the patient is able to drink or eat on his or her own for the time being to avoid life-threatening choking or aspiration. If the patient’s condition does not allow for drinking or eating, the health care professional will establish an intravenous access to the patient’s hand to replenish nutrients and water; if the symptoms of swallowing dysfunction persist, the health care professional will place a gastric tube (a medical catheter connected to the stomach through the nasal cavity) to introduce nutrients into the gastrointestinal tract. The tube can also be used to administer medication through the intravenous or gastric tube route. When the condition improves, the tube may be withdrawn.
What kind of care will a stroke patient receive?
After a stroke, medical professionals will pay close attention to the patient’s posture, help the patient turn and move around the bed, protect the patient’s limbs, reduce complications such as bed sores, pneumonia and urinary tract infections, and perform rehabilitation exercises to facilitate early return to function.
What are the risk factors for stroke?
Risk factors for stroke can be classified into two types: interventional and non-interventional. Age, gender, race and family heritability are the two non-interventional risk factors. The risk of stroke continues to increase with age and is higher in men than in women; non-interventionable risk factors include hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, smoking, alcohol abuse, dyslipidemia, carotid artery stenosis, obesity, lack of physical activity, poor diet and nutrition, and substance abuse.
What can I do to help prevent stroke for me and my family?
Stroke prevention starts with me.
(1) Know your blood pressure: If you have a history of hypertension, measure and control your blood pressure regularly. Once you are diagnosed with hypertension, you should start non-pharmacological treatment or medication as prescribed by your doctor;
(2) Regular physical examination: regular physical examination is a very necessary health care measure for people over 40 years old, once a year is appropriate to understand the heart, blood sugar, lipid levels, and timely treatment of abnormalities found;
(3) change the bad lifestyle: proper exercise, standardized work and rest, combining work and rest, reasonable diet, etc., eat more food containing protein, high fiber, vegetables and fruits, etc., and eat less salt and high-fat diet;
(4) Overcome bad habits: it is recommended to quit smoking and drink alcohol in moderation.
What can be done to help me and my family to prevent stroke recurrence?
For stroke patients, it is more important to control the risk factors of stroke;
(1) Monitor blood pressure closely. After the acute phase of stroke, it is best to lower the blood pressure if tolerated.