Stroke Prevention – Health VnExpress



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Examination of the cerebral vessels at least once in youth is one way to detect cerebral vascular malformations, the leading cause of stroke.

Dr Nguyen Van Tuyen, from the 108th Military Central Hospital Stroke Center, said that to prevent the risk of stroke in both the young and the elderly, the first and foremost thing is to undergo regular medical examinations. However, most people rarely go for a medical examination, or only undergo regular medical check-ups to detect liver, kidney, cancer function … Few people pay attention to the risk factor for stroke.

In young people, cerebral vascular malformation is one of the main causes of stroke. Cerebral vascular malformations can be congenital or take many years to develop. There are two methods for examining the cerebral vessels: cerebral vascular resonance imaging and cerebral vascular tomography. If a vascular malformation is found, the doctor will treat the aortic node before it ruptures.

Doctors advise that not only the elderly need to scan the blood vessels of the brain, but also the young should be examined, at least once. The cost is about 1.9 to 2.5 million at a time, depending on the CT scan or MRI.

Furthermore, carotid ultrasound can also detect risk. Carotid artery stenosis is very common, but few people pay attention to the examination and treatment. In many cases, doctors neglect the clinical examination of patients. A cerebrovascular accident occurs, 25-30% is due to carotid stenosis.

The carotid artery is quite large in size, located in the neck, and made up of the left carotid artery and the right carotid artery that can be felt on the sides of the neck. The carotid arteries carry blood from the heart to nourish the brain. Carotid artery stenosis is caused by thickening of the plaque that grows on the wall of the vessel, which reduces cerebral blood flow. Atheroma can cause local or moving thromboembolism that blocks brain vessels. Carotid stenosis is one of the important causes of cerebral infarction and transient ischemic attack.

Doctors recommend a carotid pulse ultrasound every year, priced at just 150,000-200,000.

In the elderly, the sign of a stroke is usually due to transient ischemic attacks, but many people ignore it. About 12% of patients with a transient ischemic attack experience a stroke within the next 3 months. Doctors recommend that the best way to prevent a stroke is when there are transient attacks of anemia, the patient should not be subjective but should go immediately to the hospital to receive timely diagnosis and treatment.

Stroke patient treated at Military Hospital 108. Photo: Thuy Quynh

Treatment of stroke patients at Hospital Militar 108. Photo: Thuy Quynh

Dr. Tran Quang Thang, Head of the Emergency and Stroke Department at Central Geriatric Hospital, said Stroke is a preventable disease through measures against risk factors such as the treatment of dyslipidemia, the control of blood glucose, the control of blood pressure …

For the primary prevention group who have never had a stroke, patients should see their doctor regularly to detect risk factors early and control them early, especially those with diabetes, blood pressure, and cholesterol. must be seen once a month.

For the secondary prevention group, who had had a stroke, the doctor said that these cases had a high risk of recurrence. Patients should comply with the indications for examination and treatment, not stopping or leaving medications in between. Do not use supplements to replace medications. Patients should eat a diet rich in vitamins and minerals, limit excessive fat intake, control weight, and prevent obesity.

Follow a reasonable diet of salt and potassium, cut down on salty foods to prevent high blood pressure. The recommended daily amount in the diet is no more than 6 grams of table salt per day. Get more potassium by eating more fresh fruits and vegetables. Keep your body weight within limits. Quit smoking completely because smoking increases the risk of stroke and coronary artery disease, especially in those who smoke more than 40 cigarettes a day.

Exercise to reduce risk factors, such as lowering blood pressure, reducing obesity, and limiting the progression of atherosclerosis. The average exercise is a regular 30-minute walk every day. It is also very helpful to be able to ride your bike or swim for at least 30 minutes once a day, 5 days a week.

According to experts, other causes of stroke are smoking, obesity and inactivity, diabetes, high blood pressure, alcohol consumption … About 50% of young stroke patients smoke. leaves. Cigarettes contain around 7,000 chemical toxins like carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, arsenic, and cyanide. These toxins enter the bloodstream after being absorbed by the lungs, disrupting and destroying the cells of the body, increasing the risk of atherosclerosis, damage to the blood vessels of the brain.

Stroke is one of the diseases that overwhelms the family and society because the cost of treatment is very high and the rate of disability is very high. It can be prevented when we detect and treat risk factors early. Experts say that once a stroke has occurred, the patient must be immediately admitted to the hospital in the stroke unit (center) for timely treatment to reduce the rate of death and disability. Doctors recommend developing a healthy lifestyle to avoid the risk of stroke in particular and other diseases in general.

Thuy Quynh – Thuy An

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