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Doctor: There is the interface between stroke and COVID-19
Doctors say the pandemic has affected all diseases and the number of patients has increased, especially those with more serious diagnoses. According to neurologist Rytis Masiliūnas, stroke is a common disease that affects about 10,000 people in Lithuania every year. people, but fewer strokes were recorded during the pandemic.
“Paradoxically, during the pandemic, we noticed a decrease in stroke cases, as was the case around the world. It is not known why the number of strokes has decreased, but it is believed that people with mild symptoms and a transient ischemic attack simply do not apply ”, comments the specialist.
When asked how the COVID-19 virus interacts with stroke, R. Masiliūnas reveals that there are certain links between these diseases.
“There are several mechanisms on which these interfaces are based. Statistically, approximately 1.5% of all hospitalized COVID-19 patients suffered a stroke, and those who came to the admitting department during the peak of the pandemic and were diagnosed with a stroke later received a positive coronavirus test. ”Says the doctor.
© DELFI / Andrius Ufartas
He adds that there is some link between COVID-19 and stroke, as people with coronavirus experience more severe strokes due to the risk of thrombosis, and oxygen deficiency also plays a role.
Impending stroke can be predicted
According to the neurologist, stroke is a heterogeneous disease and the risk factors for the disease are: high blood pressure and cholesterol, smoking, being overweight, lack of physical activity, diabetes. If these risk factors are present or suspected to be present, they should be investigated and adjusted where possible.
“When a blood clot clogs a blood vessel in the brain, we are talking about an ischemic stroke. About 10 percent. Hemorrhagic stroke can also occur when a blood vessel is not blocked but ruptures, “explains the doctor, adding that the risk factors for both hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke are the same or similar.
R. Masiliūnas states that another disease is a transient ischemic attack. The doctor calls this disease a stroke prophet, because if a patient contracts the disease, the risk of having a stroke in the next 30 days is about 10%, of which about 5%. patients experience a stroke in the first two days.
After a transient ischemic attack, the neurologist recommends that you contact your family doctor or the admissions department immediately and have your blood vessels, heart rate, and risk factors adjusted as soon as possible to avoid a stroke. .
Stroke is not just a disease of the elderly
The average age at which patients suffer a stroke varies between men and women: a typical patient is a 71-year-old man and an 80-year-old woman. It is considered a stroke at an early age when the patient is under 50 years of age. After reviewing the statistics of Lithuania, about 5 percent. stroke patients are under 50 years of age.
On the other hand, according to the doctor, the population is aging and, with it, the average age of stroke is also aging. However, the possibility that a stroke may occur at a young age is not ruled out.
And why do apparently healthy people have a stroke?
“Traditional risk factors need to be addressed first, but there are also rare causes of stroke at a young age, such as congenital blood clotting disorder. Several factors may be present, such as young women who use contraception but also smoke. These can be rare systemic diseases, ”R. Masiliūnas listed the causes of strokes.
When symptoms occur, time is of the essence
One of the key questions when dealing with a stroke is this: what are the main signs of a stroke and how quickly should you react when you notice them? Neurologist R. Masiūliūnas states that the main symptoms of a stroke can be described by the abbreviation FAST.
“QUICK – face (facial distortion), arms (weakening of the arm or leg), speech (speech disorder), weather (time – if you or your loved one experiences any of these symptoms, you should go to the nearest stroke center as soon as possible, there are 11 of them in Lithuania. You can do this by calling an ambulance), – the specialized points outside.
The doctor adds that if you call an ambulance instead of yourself, but while waiting for a doctor, you can ask if the person is not taking blood thinners, find out and document when that patient had a stroke, if it happened when he saw it. , or when it last happened, once they saw him healthy. This will make the job of GMP staff easier and reduce the amount of time they spend on the scene.
A. Masiliūnas also offers a tool that can help you find out what the risk of stroke is for you in the near future.
“If you want to measure your risk of having a stroke in five or ten years and how much that risk would be reduced if you made a health decision, I suggest you use an app approved by the World Stroke Organization. It’s called a Stroke Riscometer. By putting together 20 different answers about your health, you can see what your risk of suffering a stroke is ”, shares the interlocutor with practical advice.
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