Healthy lifestyle advocated to keep stroke at bay

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Nov 14 : Saying that a stroke can cause long-term disability and even death, neurosurgeon Dr Gautam Chabungbam has appealed to  one and all to seek medical treatment if they detect symptoms of stroke.
Numbness of cheek, trouble in shutting eyes, weakness in arms, speech difficulty are some of the common symptoms of an incoming stroke.
Speaking to The Sangai Express,  Dr Gautam, who is a consultant neuro surgeon at SHIJA Hospital said that the risk factors for stroke in younger adults is increasing due to change in lifestyle.
Saying that sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy dietary habits lead to increase in cholesterol level and blood pressure, he maintained that exercising regularly for 45 minutes to one hour daily and eating a balanced diet can prevent stroke.
There is no need to go for intense work-out as even  going for a walk regularly  can make a person physically active, he added.
Intake of salt, oily and fried food, however, has to be reduced, Dr Gautam advised and added that going for a health check up regularly is also important to prevent stroke.
Dr Gautam said that stroke has two types-ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke.
Ischemic stroke occurs when a blockage in a blood vessel prevents blood from reaching the brain, said Dr Gautam and added that hemorrhagic stroke happens when a blood vessel in the brain ruptures.
Ischemic stroke is more common than hemorrhagic stroke globally while hemorrhagic stroke is more common among  the Asian population, the doctor said.
Dr Gautam said that the FAST test is used to detect stroke symptoms with F being Face, A being Arm, S being Speech and T being time.
Saying that Face dropping (F), trouble in shutting eyes, weakness in Arms (A), Speech difficulty (S) are some of the common symptoms of stroke, he said that any person who  shows these symptoms should be taken to a hospital with T being Time to call emergency services.
He said that the symptoms  of stroke are similar be it ischemic or hemorrhagic.
Saying that treatment of these two types of stroke, however, is different, Dr Gautam maintained  that identification of the type of  stroke through a CT scan is necessary before the treatment.
Taking a CT scan takes about 20 minutes so any person who shows symptoms of stroke must be taken to a hospital as soon as possible, he said and added that the person with stroke symptoms has to go for an MRI again if there is no bleeding to check the blood vessel after the CT scan.
Dr Gautam continued that the golden hour of a stroke is the first 60 minutes after the onset of stroke symptoms and treatment during this period can restore blood flow  and prevent damage to brain tissue.
Treatment during golden hour has a high chance of survival, he added.
Golden period, on the other hand, is the first four to four and half hours from the occurrence of stroke and complication can be  minimised if treatment is given to the stroke patient during this period.
Dr Gautam further said that treatment of stroke during golden hour is practically difficult in Manipur as the patient often reaches hospital late due to different factors.
Maintaining that a thrombolysis therapy is to be given to the stroke patient if the case is ischemic, he added that thrombolytic drugs are easily available and not expensive.
The doctor went on to say that the blockage can also happen in a large blood vessel and in such cases mechanical thrombectomy therapy is to be given to the patient.
He said that SHIJA Hospital has a mechanical thrombectomy treatment facility.
In case of hemorrhagic stroke the bleeding period is six hours, he said and added that not all cases of hemorrhagic stroke require a brain surgery.
80-90 per cent of hemorrhagic stroke can be treated through medication, he said and added that hardly  5 to 10 per cent of hemorrhagic stroke cases require surgery.
The stroke patient (bleeding) needs to be kept at a hospital so that the doctors can take timely action as and when the situation arises.
If the bleeding doesn't stop and the patient starts losing consciousness than he/she has to undergo a surgery as non-treatment during this time could endanger his/her life, the doctor said.
Saying that stroke can also cause paralysis, Dr Gautam maintained that the degree of the damage done will determine whether the person will recover from paralysis or not.
Stroke is called high morbidity because it has a high rate of disability and long-term effects, even for those who survive, he  said and maintained that those who had severe stroke need to go for physiotherapy or other  physical therapies.
There is no such  thing as a cure for stroke, he said while appealing to the people to eat healthy food and remain active to prevent stroke.