Cerebrovascular accidents, also called strokes, are a global health problem: they are the third cause of death, the
first of acquired disability in adults and the second of dementia.
This is a group of conditions for which we unknowingly condition ourselves through harmful lifestyles.
For this reason, and because in Santiago de Cuba, as in the rest of the country, stroke has a significant impact to the detriment of the well-being of the population, Sierra Maestra spoke with Dr. Imilsy Delgado, second-degree specialist in Hygiene and Epidemiology, responsible from the Department
provincial of non-communicable diseases.
What is a stroke called?
“Stroke is the interruption of blood circulation that reaches the brain due to the rupture or obstruction of a blood vessel. This prevents blood from supplying a certain area of the brain, therefore, the nerve cells in the affected area do not receive the oxygen essential for their functioning, and they die.
“The word “ictus” comes from Latin and means “blow.” It is used to name this event because it perfectly describes the sudden effect of the
interruption of blood flow to a part of the brain. It is what people commonly call stroke, embolism, thrombosis or
apoplexy.”
What symptoms may appear when a stroke occurs?
“The symptoms in these cases can be diverse. When blood does not circulate properly through the brain, temporary or permanent alterations may appear. “Some of the main clinical manifestations may be a sudden alteration of language; a lack of strength or sensation in a part of the body, usually affecting one half of the body and
evidence mainly on the face and extremities; loss of coordination or balance; very intense headache; and changes in vision with vision loss in one eye, double vision, or inability to see objects somewhere in the visual field.
“The population should know that when one of these symptoms appears, medical attention must be sought urgently because immediate assistance to the patient can be decisive in saving their life.”
What consequences can a stroke have?
“The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that every year about 15 million people suffer strokes and of these more than five million die. So one of the main consequences of this disease is death. In fact, it is the third cause of death in the world, and in our country it has a very similar behavior.”
“Those who survive a stroke usually have sequelae. This is the main cause of physical disability in adults and the second leading cause of dementia. It is stated that stroke is more disabling than other neurological diseases. That’s why it is
“It is so important to work on its prevention from an early age and throughout life.”
What are the risk factors for the onset of strokes?
“Among the main risk factors are hypertension and advanced age. It is proposed that after the age of 55, each decade that passes
the risk of suffering a stroke increases. However, it is increasingly affecting young people.
“Diabetes, a sedentary lifestyle, obesity, high cholesterol, and addiction to tobacco, alcohol and/or drugs can also cause a condition.
cerebrovascular accident.
“It is considered that people suffering from vascular diseases (coronary insufficiency, heart failure or arterial disease)
peripheral, etc.) have a greater probability of having a stroke.
“There are also less documented risk factors such as migraine and the use of hormonal contraceptives.”
How can stroke be prevented?
“Preventive work at a social level is very important, in which all sectors must participate, led by Public Health. I think that
With the leadership or advice of health workers, all institutions, workplaces and communities can promote knowledge and actions to prevent strokes as well as the diseases to which their occurrence is associated.
That is why we have to continue working to raise people’s awareness of this issue, so that we are all part of the solution to a serious health problem.
“Now, at an individual level, self-care is very important: to avoid strokes, lifestyles must be modified. Most risk factors can be prevented or modified.
“Properly controlling high blood pressure and diabetes reduces the risk; the consumption of toxic substances (tobacco, alcohol, drugs) must be eliminated; body weight must be controlled… Salt consumption must be reduced to 2.3 g per day; You should eat foods rich in potassium (spinach, cabbage, grapes, carrots and citrus fruits) because potassium helps regulate blood pressure and therefore prevents transient strokes from appearing.
“In summary: regular physical exercise, a healthy diet, proper management of chronic diseases and avoiding or eliminating the aforementioned addictions are the keys to preventing strokes,” concluded the expert.
According to information from the WHO, one in six people in the world will suffer a stroke at some point in their lives. However, 80% of the risk of stroke can be avoided with healthy lifestyle habits. Prevention is the vaccine against stroke.
2023-10-31 10:47:12
#stroke #vaccine #Sierra #Maestra #Newspaper
