This disease is more common in winter and can instantly cause you to become crooked in the mouth and eyes, or paralyzed in bed. Treatment is a "race against time". How to identify and prevent stroke early?

Many people think that stroke is a disease that only the elderly will get. However, the temperature dropped sharply to below 10℃ a few days ago. An acquaintance in my hometown who had just turned 40 years old suddenly became crooked in the mouth and became unable to speak while playing mahjong in the middle of the night. His right hand and right foot could not move. The doctor at the local health center said it was a "stroke". His family strongly requested to send him to the provincial hospital. If there is no traffic jam, the journey will take three hours. In addition, he has to go through a lot of procedures after being admitted to the hospital, which will take at least more than an hour.

I suggested sending him to the local county people's hospital for treatment immediately, as time is life. His wife cried and said, "He is so young and we have never heard of anyone in our family having this disease. How is it possible?"

1. What is stroke?

"Stroke", also known as "cerebrovascular accident" (CVA), is an acute cerebrovascular disease. It is a group of diseases that cause brain tissue damage due to sudden rupture of cerebral blood vessels or blockage of blood vessels that prevent blood from flowing into the brain, including ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke.

The incidence of ischemic stroke is higher than that of hemorrhagic stroke, accounting for 60% to 70% of all strokes. Hemorrhagic stroke is more likely to occur in winter, while ischemic stroke is more likely to occur in summer.

2. What are the dangers of stroke?

Among the world's population over the age of 25, on average one in four people may suffer a stroke, one person dies from a stroke every six seconds, and one person becomes disabled due to a stroke every six seconds.

In my country, stroke is the leading cause of death among residents and the leading cause of disability among adults. According to the "China Stroke Center Report 2020", in 2020, the number of people aged 40 and above in my country who suffered from stroke was about 17.8 million, which brought a heavy burden to families and society.

Stroke has an alarming mortality and disability rate!

October 29, 2021 is the 16th World Stroke Day. This year's theme is: "Be alert to stroke symptoms, identify and treat as early as possible!" If stroke symptoms can be identified early, patients can be promptly sent to a hospital with treatment capabilities within 4.5 hours of onset and receive standardized treatment. Most patients can recover significantly or even completely.

Therefore, the treatment of stroke is a "race between the brain and time."

3. Use the BEFAST formula to identify the early symptoms of stroke.

"B" - Balance refers to balance, sudden difficulty walking, dizziness, loss of balance, or unstable gait, or unexpected falls;

"E" - Eyes refers to the eyes, both eyes stare to one side. One or both eyes suddenly have blurred vision, or vision loss, double vision;

"F" - Face refers to the face, which is asymmetrical and has crooked corners of the mouth;

"A" - Arms refers to the arms, which can cause weakness, numbness, clumsiness, heaviness or paralysis on one or both sides of the body;

"S" - Speech refers to language, unclear pronunciation, difficulty in expressing or understanding language, and coughing when drinking water;

"T" - Time refers to time. The above symptoms indicate a possible stroke. Please do not wait for the symptoms to disappear on their own. Call local 120 immediately for medical assistance.

A simpler way to identify it is to use "Stroke 120"

"1" Look: 1 face is asymmetrical, with crooked mouth corners;

"2" check: Both arms, one side is weak and cannot be lifted;

"0" Listening: Slurred speech.

These symptoms usually occur suddenly, and some patients may also suddenly develop severe headaches that were rarely seen before.

If the above symptoms occur, you should:

1. Seek treatment nearby and remember the time of onset. Family members should immediately call 120 for emergency treatment and quickly send the patient to a nearby hospital with stroke treatment capabilities.

2. The airway is unobstructed and food is temporarily prohibited. While waiting for 120, the patient can lie flat on the spot with the head to one side, or lie on his side. Unbutton and loosen clothes, clean and wipe vomit to prevent aspiration. Do not feed the patient medicine or water by yourself.

4. Why is stroke more common in winter?

Winter is the peak season for stroke, especially during the period of great temperature drop, when the incidence rate increases significantly. Hemorrhagic stroke is more likely to occur in winter. Cold stimulation can excite the sympathetic nerves and contract the capillaries, thus causing high blood pressure. In addition, the dry climate in winter causes a large loss of water in the body.

The risk of stroke is increased if you are emotionally agitated, exert excessive force during bowel movements, are overworked, or fail to take medication as prescribed.

5. What are the high-risk factors for stroke?

In fact, stroke does not happen for no reason, there must be risk factors behind it.

Hypertension, high blood lipids, diabetes, overweight, heart diseases such as atrial fibrillation and myocardial infarction, and some bad living habits such as staying up late, smoking, alcoholism, lack of exercise, and emotional excitement are all important controllable risk factors for stroke.

It is worth noting that stroke has been increasingly affecting younger people in recent years. Patients around 40 years old are not uncommon in clinical practice, which is mostly related to unhealthy lifestyles.

That acquaintance always had high blood pressure, but he never took it seriously and never took medicine. He was less than 1.7 meters tall, but weighed almost 100 kilograms, and had a big belly.

He often smokes, drinks and stays up late, sometimes playing cards in the middle of the night. His wife is very angry and says he doesn't pay attention to his health. He doesn't care. He won the mahjong game and got so excited that he had a stroke. He has elderly parents and young children to take care of. He regrets it so much.

6. Remember these 8 points to prevent stroke

1. Avoid spicy food and have balanced nutrition;

2. Low fat, low salt, and reduced sugar intake;

3. Drink water appropriately to avoid obesity;

4. Quit smoking, limit alcohol consumption, and maintain a regular work and rest schedule;

5. Feel good and exercise properly;

6. Reduce overwork and avoid stress;

7. Be especially vigilant in winter and summer;

8. Have regular physical examinations and receive timely treatment.

Tips:

1. People over 30 years old should have a physical examination at least once a year to understand their blood sugar, blood pressure, blood lipids, etc. If they have bad living habits or are obese, the screening age should be advanced.

2. Patients with hyperlipidemia, hypertension, diabetes, atrial fibrillation or other heart diseases should control relevant risk factors, take medication on time, and have regular follow-up visits.