Do you understand stroke? There has never been a disease like stroke, which can make a person lose the dignity of life in an instant: the mouth and eyes are distorted, the limbs are numb, and even paralyzed in bed. …… Misunderstandings in Stroke Prevention and Treatment Misunderstanding 1: I won’t get a stroke Many people think that stroke is a disease of the elderly, and I am young, and I don’t have such a disease in my ancestors, and I have low blood pressure. Many people think that stroke is a disease of the elderly, I am young, there is no such disease in my ancestors, my blood pressure is not high, I pay attention to my life, and I have medical checkups every year. In fact, one out of every six people in the world will suffer from stroke in their lifetime, one person will have a stroke every two seconds, one person will die of stroke every six seconds, and one person will be permanently disabled due to stroke every six seconds. Stroke can occur at any age in a person’s life, regardless of gender or age. The average age of stroke onset in China is 66 years, 10 years earlier than in white Americans. The average age of stroke onset in China is 66, 10 years earlier than that of white Americans, and nearly 1/5 of all patients are younger than 45 years old; moreover, the majority of stroke patients have no signs before the onset of stroke, and less than 1/3 of patients have a history of transient ischemic attacks. Myth 2: Carotid artery screening = stroke screening Often heard in the clinic, carotid artery examination is equal to stroke screening, carotid artery plaque will occur stroke. Stroke screening is a comprehensive process. In this process, the cerebrovascular and carotid artery examination is only one part, whether or not the onset of the disease also depends on whether it has risk factors, a category of behavioral factors, the biggest risk is smoking, the second is mental stress, and the third is the reduction of exercise, which is the three major risks. Disease factors include hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, and of course dyslipidemia and others. So don’t be nervous even if you have carotid plaque, it doesn’t necessarily mean stroke. Myth 3: If the cerebrovascular examination is normal, you will not suffer from cerebrovascular disease In cerebrovascular disease, vascular factors are only one of the causes. For example, some statistics show that 1/5 of cerebrovascular disease actually comes from the heart, preceded by atrial fibrillation, which has nothing to do with blood vessels. So a normal cerebrovascular screening doesn’t mean you won’t develop cerebrovascular disease. Myth 4: Some foods or actions are a panacea for preventing strokes Often people tell me that he has a great trick for preventing stroke by eating special foods, combing his hair with a rhino horn comb every day, and exercising every day. One old gentleman said he walked 10,000 steps backwards in the park every day to prevent strokes. Others eat natto, lecithin and fitness tea every day. Do these really prevent strokes? For health and wellness, sometimes regular living even outweighs science itself. Not many of any foods, including the natto and lecithin we often talk about, are really effective, and the best foods are still these vegetables and fruits we eat every day. The most well-documented exercise for stroke prevention is brisk walking. However, surveys from the American Institutes of Health have shown that strenuous exercise can increase brain bleeding, so exercise should also be limited. Myth 5: Aspirin can prevent any stroke China’s aspirin use is much lower than abroad, currently 14% of the general population, the United States is 50%. Aspirin recommended by clinicians varies from person to person and is certainly not for anyone. The U.S. study pointed out that one has had a heart attack, the second is over 45 years of age of women, and the third is multiple risk factors, high risk of cardiovascular disease in the future to apply. However, the following people are better off without aspirin: people with very high blood pressure that is not easily controlled; people with bleeding disorders; and people with a family history of cerebral hemorrhage. National guidelines in the United States also indicate that stroke prevention and control measures are comprehensive and that aspirin is only one part of prevention. Although aspirin is important, you should not forget to follow your doctor’s instructions to take antihypertensive, lipid-regulating and hypoglycemic drugs, which are also important measures. Myth 6: Drugs are toxic, health care products are safer Some people say that the drug manual written more side effects, the chance of side effects also more, Western medicine to treat the symptoms, Chinese medicine to treat the root cause. And the fact is that the frequency and severity of adverse reactions with the number of instructions written has no relationship. Stroke prevention drugs, many people are worried about long-term consumption of liver damage, I can say that now there is not a single case in the world because of the use of statins appear physical damage, so do not be intimidated by the instructions. The safety of health care products has not been scientifically evaluated, and those with definite efficacy must not be health care products. Moreover, health care products are very expensive, so we must not blindly believe in health care products and give up medicines with better safety, which will lead to a misunderstanding of the condition. Myth 7: I have a mild condition, do not need to be hospitalized Many of us who have had a stroke say that their symptoms are very mild, do not need to be hospitalized, in the outpatient infusion can be good, this is wrong. In fact, the prognosis for even minor strokes is often less than satisfactory, with higher mortality and recurrence rates, so the presence of a minor stroke must be taken seriously. From a social point of view, the treatment of transient and minor strokes is of greater value. If a small stroke is cured, you are a normal person, but if you don’t treat it, it may become a real stroke. Myth 8: Infusion is more effective than medication Many patients think that infusion is more effective than medication, and I say that medication is more effective. At present, China has become a big country of infusion, all the hospitals have infusion room, but for the prevention of stroke, infusion has how much effect? In fact, in the early stage of stroke, not many infusions have a significant effect. In our country’s guidelines, there is almost no infusion, mainly statins, antiplatelet and antihypertensive drugs, only thrombus melting need intravenous infusion. We almost never prescribe infusion in outpatient clinics, inappropriate infusion will only make the condition worse, and studies have found that the disability rate is higher in patients with daily infusion. Myth 9: blood circulation = unclogging blood vessels = prevention and treatment of stroke I often hear patients say: “I now eat Panax notoginseng, wild ginkgo tea every day, eat blood supplements every day, it will live the blood, you can dissolve the blood clots.” This is also wrong. Nowadays, there are few varieties of thrombolytic drugs, which also have the optimal time period for treatment, and the risk of thrombolysis can be very high and harmful. So far there is no oral thrombolytic drugs, and blood-activating drugs can not dissolve the thrombus, can not unclog the blood vessels. Myth 10: I am cured, I don’t need to take medication It is important to know that the recurrence rate of stroke is very high, the 5-year recurrence rate is 30%, and 1/3 of the people are re-hospitalized because of recurrence. Patients who have had the ESSEN Stroke Risk Rating Scale done, the higher the score the more important it is to stay on medication. Others stop taking their medication because they can move their legs and feet. In fact, even if the limb recovers after a stroke, the blood vessels are not necessarily better. The blockage may still be there, and you should stick to your medication as prescribed by your doctor.