The leading cause of death among Chinese people is actually this! It is more terrible than cancer. Don’t do these six things!

Stroke, also known as cerebral infarction or cerebrovascular accident, is a problem with blood supply to the brain, such as blockage and ischemia of blood vessels, or rupture and bleeding of blood vessels.

The Lancet once published a paper entitled "Analysis of Mortality, Morbidity and Risk Factors in China and Its Provinces, 1990-2017", which analyzed the causes of death of residents in 34 provinces and regions in China (including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) from 1990 to 2017: The current leading cause of death among Chinese people is stroke!

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The "China Cardiovascular Health and Disease Report 2022" shows that there were 28.76 million stroke patients in my country in 2019, and 2.189 million people died of stroke in my country in 2019. The threat of stroke to our health should not be underestimated.

Stroke has a high risk of disability and death, but the vast majority of stroke risk attribution is controllable. By strengthening health education and implementing the following "six musts" and "six don'ts", the occurrence of stroke can be minimized.

Six musts for prevention

1

Keep your blood pressure under control

Hypertension is the number one risk factor for stroke. For every 10 mmHg increase in systolic blood pressure, the relative risk of stroke increases by 49%, and for every 5 mmHg increase in diastolic blood pressure, the relative risk of stroke increases by 46%.

my country is a country with a high blood pressure rate. The prevalence of hypertension among adults over 18 years old is 27.5%. In stark contrast, the awareness, treatment and control rates of hypertension patients are very low. Only 43.3% of hypertension patients know that they have hypertension, and many of them only find out that they have hypertension when they have headaches and dizziness. More than half of hypertension patients are unwilling to receive treatment, especially young patients. The reasons for unwillingness to receive treatment include: worrying about the toxic side effects of drugs or believing that drugs are addictive.

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Adults over 18 years old should know their blood pressure and monitor it at least once a year. Hypertensive patients should monitor their blood pressure more frequently to keep it within the target range.

2

Manage blood lipids

Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is a type of "bad cholesterol" that is the culprit of atherosclerosis and is the indicator that cardiovascular doctors pay the most attention to.

If you are exposed to higher levels of LDL cholesterol for a long time, plaques will appear and gradually grow larger, causing blood vessel stenosis, or the plaques will become soft and unstable, rupture and block the blood vessels, causing a stroke.

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3

Exercise moderately and manage your weight

Overweight and obesity are increasing rapidly, and the current overweight rate among residents aged 18 and above is 34.6%. For every 5 units increase in body mass index (BMI), the risk of stroke increases by 1.1 times. Compared with those who do not exercise, those who exercise at a high to moderate intensity have a 25% or 17% lower risk of stroke morbidity or mortality, respectively, but low-intensity exercise does not reduce the risk of stroke.

4

Have regular physical examinations

Blood pressure should be monitored regularly, and blood lipids, blood sugar, electrocardiogram, heart and carotid ultrasound, transcranial Doppler and other examinations should be performed regularly to screen for risk factors for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Those with abnormal results should be intervened in a timely manner.

5

Have good sleep and mood

Have a good sleep. Insufficient sleep, snoring, insomnia, etc. will increase the incidence of stroke and affect the patient's prognosis and stroke recurrence. Manage your stress well. Long-term and inappropriate stress can make people anxious and even depressed. Increased anxiety levels are associated with an increased risk of stroke.

6

Recognize stroke symptoms

If you suddenly experience slurred speech, numbness and weakness on one side of your limbs, unsteady walking, blurred vision, crooked mouth, and other symptoms, you should think of a cerebrovascular accident. You should go to a nearby hospital with treatment capabilities as soon as possible. Even if these symptoms have recovered, you should ask a doctor to evaluate you. If the stroke symptoms are severe, you should undergo thrombolysis or interventional thrombectomy under the doctor's advice.

Six Don’ts to Prevent Stroke

1

Do not change seasonal infusion

Some studies have shown that large changes in temperature can increase the incidence of stroke. However, there is no scientific basis for preventing cerebral infarction through infusion. Blind infusion is not only useless, but may also cause adverse consequences such as heart failure and allergies.

2

Don't take health supplements blindly

There are many health products on the market that claim to soften blood vessels and prevent stroke. Some of these products are dietary supplements, which may be beneficial to the body if taken in moderation, but there is no scientific evidence to prove that they can prevent stroke. They are also expensive and are mostly "taxes on IQ".

Some products are three-no products, and many elderly people are convinced by them through constant brainwashing. The safety of these products is not guaranteed, and improper use may delay the disease and cause liver and kidney damage.

3

Don't abuse drugs

Many middle-aged people like to take aspirin and statins to prevent stroke. For people with a low risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, aspirin cannot prevent the risk of stroke and has a certain risk of bleeding. Patients with risk factors should use aspirin according to the situation after evaluation by a cardiovascular and cerebrovascular specialist and must not take it on their own.

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Many middle-aged and elderly people are worried about the risk of stroke after they are found to have carotid plaques during health checkups, and they take statins on their own or at the doctor's suggestion. Not all carotid plaques require statin treatment, and doctors should also assess the risk of plaques and the need for treatment.

4

Avoid consuming large amounts of high-salt and high-fat foods

A high salt content in the diet can easily cause high blood pressure, which in turn leads to cerebrovascular disease. Most patients with cerebrovascular disease have high blood lipids, so the intake of fat, especially saturated fat, must be strictly limited. Pay attention to a balanced and reasonable diet.

5

Do not smoke or drink excessively

Smoking can increase the relative risk of ischemic stroke by 90% and nearly double the risk of subarachnoid hemorrhage. Heavy drinking can increase the risk of stroke by 20%.

6

Don't perform the wrong first aid

After a stroke, do not blindly take medication on your own, especially if you are unconscious. Blindly taking medication may block the respiratory tract, cause pneumonia, and may also lead to other adverse consequences. Some therapies such as bloodletting and slapping are not only useless, but also delay the time for blood vessels to reopen, leading to a poor prognosis for patients.

References

[1] Tang Chunhua, Guo Lu, Li Qiong, et al. Interpretation of the 2022 Global Stroke Data Report[J]. Diagnostics Theory & Practice, 2023, 22(03): 238-246. DOI: 10.16150/j.1671-2870.2023.03.06.

[2] Wang Yongjun, Li Zixiao, Gu Hongqiu, et al. China Stroke Report 2020 (Chinese version) (1) [J]. Chinese Journal of Stroke, 2022, 17(05): 433-447.

[3] Liu Mingbo, He Xinye, Yang Xiaohong, et al. Interpretation of the key points of "China Cardiovascular Health and Disease Report 2023"[J]. Chinese Journal of Cardiology, 2024, 29(04): 305-324. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1007-5410.2024.04.002.

Planning and production

Author: Zhao Wei, Chief Physician of the Department of Neurology, Tianjin Teda Hospital

Reviewer: Li Jingjing, Professor and Chief Physician, Department of Neurology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital