The brain is a wonderful organ that requires a very high blood supply. Once blood flow to the brain is reduced, brain cells become hypoxic, resulting in severe consequences such as paralysis, aphasia, and even death.
Among them, stroke, that is, stroke, is one of the most important risk factors for cerebral ischemia.
According to studies, for every minute of treatment delay, 1.9 million nerve cells in the brains of stroke patients die. And, their brains age rapidly. For every hour of delay, their brains will age for 3.6 years [1].
Many people think that stroke is common in the elderly, is a patent for the elderly, and young people will not get it.
Actually, big mistake!
In the news, more and more young faces have appeared among stroke patients, including one who is only 20 years old [2].
Why do young people get strokes too? This is to start with the cause of stroke.
Image source: Stand Cool Helo
Stroke is actually a disease caused by the sudden rupture of blood vessels in the brain or the inability of blood to flow into the brain due to blood vessel blockage, and the brain ischemia and hypoxia, resulting in brain tissue damage.
There are many reasons for the rupture or blockage of blood vessels in the brain, in addition to non-interventional factors such as age and genetics, the main ones are the risk factors that can be intervened.
These interventional risk factors include hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, heart disease, smoking, alcohol intake, irrational diet, overweight or obesity, insufficient exercise, and psychological factors.
These risk factors are known to be associated with 94.3% of stroke occurrences on the mainland [3].
Nowadays, young people are under great pressure at work, irregular diet, often smoke and drink alcohol at dinner, etc., their lifestyle is extremely unhealthy, and it is easy to produce the above risk factors, which indirectly leads to an increase in stroke in the young group.
According to statistics, the overall lifetime risk of stroke in mainland China is 39.9%, ranking first in the world. That is to say, in a lifetime, about 2 out of every 5 people on the mainland have a stroke.
Stroke is the first cause of death and disability in mainland China, with five characteristics: high morbidity, high disability rate, high mortality rate, high recurrence rate, and high economic burden [3].
Although stroke is terrible, since the risk factors that cause stroke are mostly from unhealthy lifestyles, improving these poor lifestyles can play a certain preventive role.
Image source: Stand Cool Helo
How to prevent stroke?
1. Eat healthy. Eat more fruits, vegetables, high-fiber foods, low-sodium, low-fat diet, etc.
2. Exercise in moderation every week. The weekly exercise time is not less than 2.5 hours, and the exercise can be half an hour per day, and the exercise is 5 days per week.
3. Do not smoke, avoid second-hand smoke, and limit the amount of alcohol consumed.
Maintain a healthy weight (18.5≤ BMI≤23.9, BMI = weight (kg) / height (m)).
5. Treat hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, so that blood pressure, blood lipids, blood glucose levels are controlled within a reasonable range.
6. If there is a related disease, take aspirin or antiplatelet drugs as directed by your doctor [4].
After a stroke, the key to treatment is time. The earlier thrombolytic or thrombolytic therapy, the lower the risk of death and disability.
Therefore, early identification after stroke is particularly important, and the internationally accepted "FAST" method is generally recommended.
F (face): whether the face is numb or weak (especially unilateral face)
A (arm): whether the arm is numb or weak (especially unilateral limb)
S (speech): Whether the pronunciation is vague or the language is difficult and difficult to understand
● T(time): If there is a sudden onset above, that is, the possibility of an acute stroke is considered, it is necessary to quickly dial 120 for help [5].
For stroke patients, every minute and every second is very important, and should be quickly identified, sent to the doctor in time, and received standardized treatment by the doctor.
Image source: Stand Cool Helo
Review expert: Feng Jie | Attending physician of the Department of Neurology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University
bibliography
[1] Saver JL. Time is brain--quantified. Stroke. 2006 Jan;37(1):263-6. doi: 10.1161/01.STR.0000196957.55928.ab. Epub 2005 Dec 8. PMID: 16339467.
[2] Sudden stroke in a 20-year-old young guy Expert: It can be prevented
https://js.qq.com/a/20170618/006880.htm
[3] Compilation Team of Stroke Prevention and Control Report in China. Chinese Journal of Cerebrovascular Diseases,2020,17(5):272-281.DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1672-5921.2020.05.008.
[4] Tencent Medical Code: Stroke
[5] Sun Beibei, Yao Bo, Fang Cai, etc. A comparative study on the application value of three stroke screening scales in rapid referral of patients with suspected stroke in the community[J].Chinese Journal of Stroke,2020,15(2):126-129.DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1673-5765.2020.02.003.
*The content of this article is a popularization of health knowledge and cannot be used as a specific diagnosis and treatment recommendation, nor is it a substitute for face-to-face consultation by a practicing physician, for reference only.
*The copyright of this article belongs to Tencent Medical Code, unauthorized media reprinting is prohibited, and illegal reprinting will be investigated for legal responsibility according to law. Individuals are welcome to forward to the circle of friends.