80 per cent strokes are preventable

Islamabad :We know that 80% of strokes can be prevented by addressing a small number of risk factors including hypertension, diet, smoking and lack of exercise. We also know that action on prevention would also contribute to massive reduction in heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

Dr. Maimoona Siddiqui, Head of the Department and Consultant Neurologist at Shifa International Hospitals (SIH) made this observation while speaking at a World Stroke Day seminar organized here on Monday. This year’s theme is to emphasize stroke risks and prevention ‘Don’t Be the One,’ and the theme can easily be adapted to all cultures by educating people.

Dr. Maimoons defined stroke as a brain attack, which happens when the blood supply to the brain is cut off, caused by a clot or bleeding in the brain. “The impact of stroke on individuals, families and society as a whole is devastating. Stroke survivors can face significant impairment of movement, speech, cognition alongside debilitating psychological, social and financial problems,” she added.

Consultant Stroke Specialist Dr. Raja Farhat Shoaib maintained that stroke has already reached epidemic proportions. One in six people worldwide will have a stroke in their lifetime while 15 million people worldwide suffer a stroke each year and 5.8 million people die from it. In Pakistan, the annual mortality rate per 100,000 people from stroke has increased by 40.9% since 1990, an average of 1.8% a year. As many as 350,000 Pakistanis suffer from stroke every year. Mortality ranges 11-30%, 118,545 lives (females 61,289 – males 57,256).

Dr. Farhat highlighted that, men, women, young people and even children, are all at risk for the disease. ‘Don’t Be the One’ is aimed at educating people about the best ways to minimize stroke, facilitate access to the best possible treatment, care and support along the pathway to recovery.

Dr. Farhat emphasized that we should know our personal risk factors; control high blood pressure, do moderate exercise 5 times a week, eat a healthy and balanced diet, reduce our cholesterol, maintain a healthy BMI or waist to hip ratio, stop smoking and avoid second-hand exposure, identify and treat atrial fibrillation, reduce our risk of diabetes, talk to our doctor and get educated about stroke.