The "cliff-like" temperature drop is "adding insult to injury" for some people...

The temperature continues to drop in the near future

Friends who go out to work

Many of them wrapped themselves in thick cotton clothes.

Some netizens joked that they had entered

"Quick Freeze Mode"

According to the weather forecast, there will be another cold front arriving after the National Day holiday, and the temperature in the central and eastern regions will generally drop by 6~10℃, and the local drop may even reach 12℃.

When the temperature drops, in addition to the uncomfortable feeling of "frozen hands and feet", it is often a high-incidence period of stroke. The "cliff-like drop in temperature" can be said to be "adding insult to injury" for elderly patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases with weak constitutions.

Today we will study:

What is a stroke?

Why does “cold weather” trigger a stroke?

How to prevent stroke?

Stroke

Stroke usually refers to a large category of acute cerebrovascular diseases , which can be simply divided into hemorrhagic stroke (cerebral hemorrhage) and ischemic stroke (cerebral infarction).

"According to rough estimates, acute ischemic stroke accounts for about 80% of all strokes, and hemorrhagic stroke accounts for about 20% ," said Professor Wang Daming, chief expert in neurosurgery at Beijing Hospital.

In September last year, the National Health Commission issued the "Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Stroke in China (2021 Edition)", which pointed out that the incidence of stroke in China has been increasing year by year and is becoming younger. At present, stroke has become the leading cause of death among Chinese residents and the disease with the highest disability rate among all diseases.

Professor Wang Daming said that stroke in my country presents obvious "four high" characteristics, namely high incidence, high disability rate, high mortality rate and high recurrence rate. Clinical observation shows that about 50-70% of patients will experience recurrence.

Once a stroke occurs, it will cause damage to the patient's brain. The sequelae of stroke include motor dysfunction, cognitive dysfunction, speech dysfunction, swallowing dysfunction , etc.

However, stroke is not something that can be prevented without warning. Active and effective intervention in the risk factors of stroke can significantly reduce the incidence and recurrence rate of stroke.

Cooling "stimulates" stroke

1. Peripheral vasoconstriction

When the human body is in a cold environment, the peripheral blood vessels contract, the peripheral resistance increases, and the blood pressure rises, which will increase the fibrin in the blood and increase the blood viscosity, easily leading to thrombosis.

2. Increased hormone secretion

Under the stimulation of cold, the body's hormone secretion will increase, causing increased vascular tension and blood pressure , leading to the occurrence of stroke.

3. Blood supply is affected

Under the stimulation of cold, the blood supply of cerebral collateral circulation will be affected and cannot effectively play its protective role, which can easily aggravate the occurrence of cerebral ischemic stroke.

Stay away from stroke

Many risk factors for stroke are modifiable, treatable and controllable .

Therefore, developing a healthy lifestyle and actively managing risk factors in people at high risk of stroke can help everyone stay away from stroke.

It is recommended to actively practice a healthy lifestyle, and the following three points are particularly emphasized here:

1. Low-salt, low-sodium, high-potassium diet

Low-salt and low-sodium diet

The World Health Organization and the fifth edition of the Chinese Dietary Guidelines (2022) recommend a daily salt intake of less than 5 grams . Pay special attention to hidden salt, such as desserts, cooked food, fast food, condiments , etc.

High potassium diet

Potassium helps in the excretion of sodium and helps lower blood pressure . Foods rich in potassium include fresh vegetables (rapeseed, cabbage), fungi (mushrooms, fungus), fruits (oranges, bananas), etc.

2. Supplement folic acid

Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) increases the risk of stroke . HHcy, like hypertension, hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, and hyperuricemia, has become a screening item for stroke risk factors.

2021 Primary Prevention of Stroke in China: Folic acid or folic acid combined with vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 can be supplemented to prevent stroke.

3. Supplement unsaturated fatty acids

Unsaturated fatty acids (including monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids) are blood vessel scavengers that can remove bad cholesterol from the blood, prevent arteriosclerosis, and keep away from cerebral infarction and myocardial infarction.

The main sources of unsaturated fatty acids: olive oil, peanut oil, rapeseed oil, nuts (walnuts, etc.) and fish (soft-shelled turtle and deep-sea fish), etc.