Night Listening | Can seasonal infusion prevent cerebral infarction? It’s really unnecessary!

Every year when the seasons change, many elderly people flock to the hospital for infusion, and a considerable number of them are patients with cerebrovascular diseases. When asked "Why do you want to have an infusion?" most of them can't tell the reason, but they just heard others say that infusion can prevent cerebrovascular diseases.

The occurrence of cerebral infarction is the result of the long-term effects of multiple risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, smoking, and drinking. Short-term infusion of some drugs that promote blood circulation and reduce blood viscosity cannot solve the fundamental problem, and there is no evidence in domestic and foreign literature that regular infusion can prevent cerebral infarction.

In addition, the elderly have declining organ function and weaker ability to metabolize drugs, so the risk of infusion is higher than that of ordinary people. These factors include factors that cannot be intervened: age, gender, genetic factors, etc.

So what are the factors that can be intervened? First of all, we must manage blood pressure.

Hypertension is the most important risk factor for stroke. The prevalence of hypertension in people over 18 years old in my country is 23.2%. There is a strong, continuous, consistent and independent correlation between hypertension and stroke.

It is recommended to take medicine on time, monitor blood pressure regularly, and keep your mood stable. Ordinary hypertensive patients should lower their blood pressure to 140/90 mmHg; hypertensive patients with diabetes or proteinuria nephropathy should further lower their blood pressure to 130/80 mmHg.

Blood lipids must also be managed. There is a clear correlation between hyperlipidemia and stroke. If unstable plaques are present, active control with statins is recommended as the first choice. Lowering low-density lipoprotein levels is the primary intervention target for preventing and controlling cerebral infarction.

Manage atrial fibrillation well. The risk of ischemic stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation is 4 to 5 times higher than that of healthy people. Adults should have regular physical examinations, detect atrial fibrillation early, and go to the hospital for stroke risk assessment.

Early control reduces the risk and manages blood sugar. Diabetes can more than double the risk of stroke. Diabetic patients should improve their lifestyle, control their diet, increase exercise, and take oral hypoglycemic drugs or insulin therapy when necessary. Manage your lifestyle, quit smoking and limit alcohol, diversify your diet, increase the intake of grains, beans, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products, reduce the intake of saturated fatty acids and trans fatty acids, reduce salt intake, and exercise appropriately. Pay attention to sleep, correct sleep apnea, and it is recommended to have a physical examination every year to detect and intervene in the risk factors of cerebrovascular disease at an early stage.

Reviewer: Han Yanfei, deputy chief physician of the Department of Neurology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University