It is not just cardiovascular ailments that persons above 40 years of age should worry about. Increasingly, persons in this group are also falling prey to brain strokes. Incidentally, brain strokes in Hyderabad matches the national average, which is 1,000 cases among one lakh population per year, according to neurologists.
On the occasion of World Stroke Day on Monday, October 29, doctors here say that brain strokes are treatable and patients can recover without any long-term damage to brain. As in the case of heart attacks, brain stroke patients too should be immediately taken to a hospital for treatment, they maintain.
In a lifetime, one in every six persons carry the risk of a brain stroke. “Lives can be saved if stroke patients are brought to the hospital in time. Relatives will have to make sure that such patients take drugs for a lifetime or else there are chances of recurrence,” says Professor, Neurology Department, NIMS, A.K. Meena.
Broadly, strokes are classified into two: ischemic and haemorrhagic strokes. Strokes occurring due to clotting of blood vessels in the brain are ischemic. Haemorrhagic strokes are due to rupture of blood vessels that cause bleeding in the brain. According to doctors, among the two, ischemic brain strokes are common
“Lot of people don’t know but there are drugs, if administered within four and half hours of a brain stroke, can dissolve the blood clots and restore blood supply to the brain. The brain can be prevented from any damage if patients are brought in time to the hospital,” says senior neurologist, Apollo Hospitals, C. Rajesh Reddy.
So, why do people have brains strokes? “There are a host of risk factors that cause strokes. Uncontrolled blood pressure, diabetes, family history of heart ailments and stressful living conditions are some of those high risk factors. Men above 40 years and women above 50 years are susceptible,” says senior neuro physician, Yashoda Hospitals, Jaydip Ray Choudhary.
Doctors advice quick treatment for stroke victims. “There are chances of serious brain damage if there is a delay in admitting stroke patients. There are medicines known as blood thinners, which have to be administered to patients for lifelong,” suggests neurologist, Global Hospitals, Naveen Kumar.
