To quickly identify stroke, remember the "120" rule

Wang Mingyu

In life, people have long been accustomed to "talking about wind" - this "wind" refers to "stroke", also known as cerebral infarction, including ischemic stroke (cerebral infarction) and hemorrhagic stroke (cerebral hemorrhage). According to statistics, the disability rate of cerebral stroke exceeds 70%, which means that once the disease occurs, it will bring heavy burdens to individuals, families and society.

Brain damage caused by lack of oxygen for more than 6 minutes is irreversible

The brain is like the "headquarters" of the human body, and is the general commander of all life activities. When a stroke occurs, blood vessels in the brain are suddenly blocked or ruptured, blood supply is interrupted, and brain tissue is damaged or even necrotic. This damage directly affects the patient's limb movements, language, cognitive ability, and memory.

Although the weight of an adult brain accounts for only 2% of body weight, it requires 20% of the body's blood supply. The brain is highly dependent on oxygen, and hypoxia for more than 6 minutes will cause irreversible damage and permanent loss of function.

There are many manifestations of disability in stroke patients, the most common of which include limb disabilities, such as hemiplegia and hemisensory disorders, which seriously affect the patient's ability to carry out daily activities; language disabilities, including aphasia and dysarthria, which affect the patient's language communication ability; cognitive disorders, such as memory loss, inattention, slow thinking, and long-term coma.

How to quickly identify a stroke

To quickly identify a stroke, remember the "120" rule: "1" refers to 1 face, observe whether the patient's face is symmetrical, whether the mouth is crooked or the eyes are slanted; "2" refers to the upper and lower limbs, check whether the patient has numbness and weakness on one side; "0" refers to listening, talk to the patient, and observe whether he has difficulty expressing himself. Once an abnormality is found, people around him should immediately call 120 for medical treatment. Within 6 hours of onset, the patient has the opportunity for "intravenous thrombolysis" and within 24 hours, the patient has the opportunity for "interventional thrombus removal". This is the golden time to reverse hemiplegia. The earlier the treatment, the better the effect.

Stroke is becoming younger

In recent years, stroke patients have gradually become younger, which is mainly related to changes in lifestyle, overweight, staying up late, smoking and drinking, mental stress, and early onset of chronic diseases. At the same time, young people often think that the disease is far away from them, and their compliance with physical examinations and treatment is poor. These factors have further contributed to the incidence of stroke in young people.

Although stroke is terrible, more than 90% of it can be prevented. Prevention of stroke should focus on the "four cornerstones of health": a reasonable diet, moderate exercise, smoking cessation and alcohol restriction, and psychological balance. In addition, we must actively control underlying diseases, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and high blood lipids. Everyone should also eat a light diet, increase physical exercise, and regularly screen for stroke risk factors to achieve early prevention, early detection, early diagnosis, and early treatment.

(The author is the attending physician of the Department of Neurosurgery, the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University)