Don’t treat “headache” as a disease and refuse to become a stroke youth

October 29, 2024 is the 19th "World Stroke Day". The World Stroke Organization pointed out that 90% of strokes are avoidable. Therefore, it is extremely important to learn how to effectively prevent strokes and detect early symptoms of strokes in a timely manner. What are the risk factors for stroke? How to quickly identify a stroke? What should I do if a stroke occurs? On October 29, Dr. Meng Shuhui from the Stroke Center of Henan Provincial People's Hospital was a guest at Dahe.com to share with netizens how to quickly identify a stroke, respond to a stroke in a timely and effective manner, and how to effectively prevent a stroke.

Current situation : Stroke has become the "number one killer" threatening the health of the people

Stroke refers to a group of diseases caused by sudden rupture of blood vessels in the brain or blood vessel blockage that prevents blood from flowing into the brain, resulting in brain tissue damage. In my country, stroke has become the "number one killer" threatening the health of the people.

"Stroke is the name of a disease in traditional Chinese medicine. It was first seen in the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine more than 2,000 years ago. This is the earliest existing monograph on traditional Chinese medicine in my country. Stroke, also known as cerebral infarction in Western medicine, is an acute cerebrovascular disease, which is divided into ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke." Meng Shuhui said that ischemic stroke, also known as cerebral infarction, refers to ischemia and hypoxia of brain tissue due to blood vessel blockage. Hemorrhagic stroke refers to bleeding caused by sudden rupture of blood vessels in the brain, including cerebral hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhage. Both types of stroke can cause brain tissue damage and hemiplegia of limbs, and in severe cases, life-threatening. Ischemic stroke is the most common type, accounting for about 70% of all strokes.

As one of the critical and severe diseases, stroke has the characteristics of high incidence, high recurrence rate, high disability rate, high mortality rate and heavy economic burden. It is the number one cause of disability in my country due to its rapid onset and rapid progression. After onset, it can lead to limb paralysis, language disorders, dysphagia, cognitive impairment, mental depression, etc., which seriously reduce the quality of life of patients and impose a huge burden on their families and society. According to statistics, there are more than 2 million new cases of stroke in my country every year. With the deepening of the aging of the population and the change of lifestyle, the incidence of stroke will continue to rise year by year.

"Whether it is an ischemic stroke or a hemorrhagic stroke, time is life. The earlier it is discovered and treated, the better the effect. Call 120 immediately after the onset of the disease, and follow the professional advice of 120 to go to the nearest hospital with stroke emergency treatment capabilities for treatment." Meng Shuhui reminded that during the period of waiting for 120 rescue, the patient should first be kept in the most comfortable state, and remember not to drag the patient to avoid further bleeding of hemorrhagic stroke patients; secondly, do not eat anything at will to prevent accidental aspiration of pneumonia and reduce the chance of treatment. Correct first aid is crucial to reducing the occurrence of disability and death caused by stroke.

Signal : Respond quickly if symptoms appear

Meng Shuhui said that some of the early symptoms of cerebral hemorrhage are roughly the same as the clinical manifestations of cerebral infarction, such as limb movement disorders, speech disorders, consciousness disorders, visual disorders, etc. The differences are, first of all, headache: when cerebral hemorrhage occurs, especially subarachnoid hemorrhage, headache is often one of the earliest symptoms. Secondly, nausea and vomiting: cerebral hemorrhage may cause increased intracranial pressure, causing symptoms such as nausea and vomiting.

So how can we detect and identify stroke as early as possible, gain time for treatment, reduce or even avoid the sequelae of stroke, and thus improve the patient's quality of life?

Simply put, it is four letters - FAST, which literally means "fast". The FAST assessment method is an internationally used method to quickly identify stroke patients: F stands for face, smile test, ask the patient to smile or show his teeth. A stands for arms, hands-raising test, ask the patient to hold both hands flat for 10 seconds. S stands for speech, language test, ask the patient to repeat a sentence. If any of the above three tests show: 1. Abnormal facial expression on one side, 2. One hand cannot be raised, 3. Unclear speech, the possibility of stroke is 72%! Please do not hesitate at this time, remember that T stands for time, onset time. If the above situation occurs, please call 120 immediately and tell the 120 operator the patient's symptoms and onset time, as well as your exact location. 120 will immediately assign an ambulance from the nearest hospital with a stroke emergency green channel to arrive.

Meng Shuhui said that this method has been improved into a more memorable "Stroke 120" formula in China: "1" represents "seeing an asymmetrical face"; "2" represents "whether one arm is weak on one side"; "0" represents "listening (zero) to whether the speech is clear." If any of the above symptoms suddenly occur, it may be a stroke, and you should call the emergency number 120 immediately.

Prevention丨"clear mines" in advance to reduce the incidence rate

Meng Shuhui believes that even with standardized and active treatment, about 2/3 of stroke patients will still experience various sequelae, including limb movement disorders, swallowing disorders, slurred speech, cognitive and psychological disorders, etc. Long-term bed rest for stroke patients will lead to muscle atrophy, joint deformity, skin damage and other problems.

The probability of recovery from stroke varies depending on many factors, but through active treatment and rehabilitation training, some patients can achieve better recovery results. Rehabilitation methods include early rehabilitation, individualized and phased rehabilitation programs, and measures to prevent recurrence. For specific rehabilitation plans and measures, Meng Shuhui recommends that they be carried out under the guidance of professional doctors.

"The best time for rehabilitation treatment after stroke is within 3 months after onset. When vital signs are stable and the disease is not progressing, stroke patients should start rehabilitation treatment as soon as possible. If rehabilitation treatment is carried out more than 1 year later, the effects of recovery of various functions will be reduced." Meng Shuhui said that recovery after a stroke cannot be achieved overnight and requires time and continuous efforts.

With the coming of cold winter, it is particularly important to prevent stroke. People should pay attention to maintaining proper hydration, especially those with cerebral vascular stenosis; control their diet, reduce the intake of high-fat and high-salt foods, eat more fruits and vegetables, help reduce the fat content in blood vessels and prevent vascular sclerosis. Keep warm, especially the elderly, who should wear warm clothes to avoid vasoconstriction and increased blood pressure caused by the cold.

At the same time, exercise moderately and avoid strenuous exercise; actively treat related diseases, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and other diseases, and control the condition; maintain good living habits, including regular work and rest, quit smoking and drinking, etc. If you have any discomfort, you should consult a professional doctor in time.