Adopting lifestyle changes and addressing key risk factors like hypertension and diabetes can help prevent up to 90% of stroke cases, according to noted neurologist Bindu Menon.
Launching an awareness campaign on the occasion of World Stroke Day, Dr. Menon said unhealthy diet, smoking, alcohol intake, obesity and lack of exercise are major contributors to stroke. Other risk factors include a rapid heart rate, raised blood lipid levels and snoring.
The World Stroke Organisation is planning to cut strokes by half in the next 10 years, she said, underscoring the need for recognising symptoms such as loss of balance, blurred or double vision, drooping of the face and slurred speech in time. Such patients should be rushed to a specialised stroke unit within the ‘golden window’ period of four hours for excellent recovery. Rehabilitation, another critical step in the treatment process, could improve the functioning and enable the survivor regain as much independence as possible over time, she explained.
Globally, one in four adults over the age of 25 will have a stroke in their lifetime. Stroke disproportionately affects individuals living in resource-poor countries. Today, two out of every three people who suffer from a stroke live in low- and middle-income countries, she said.
