|
Is stroke a disease that favors boys over girls? Is it true that there are far more male patients than female patients? 70% of stroke patients are men?
A study published online in JAMA Network Open, a subsidiary of the Journal of the American Medical Association, by Beijing Tiantan Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University and the National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases in June 2022 pointed out that the study found that the proportion of male stroke patients in my country is as high as nearly 70%, while female only accounts for 30%.
The study analyzed 10,952 cases of ischemic stroke in my country from 2007 to 2008 and found that male patients accounted for 61.5%; in addition, among the 10,348 cases of ischemic stroke from 2015 to 2018, the proportion of male patients was as high as 68.9%, while female patients accounted for only 31.1%. In other words, after ten years, the proportion of male patients in the ischemic stroke population has increased to nearly 70%. Why are strokes more common in men?
Stroke is not caused by a single reason, but the result of multiple factors, including genetics and the environment. Although factors such as high blood lipids, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar are common to both men and women, with no significant difference, the proportion of men with bad habits such as smoking and drinking is much higher than that of women, which may be the main reason for the high proportion of stroke in men.
Take smoking as an example. According to the "China Smoking Health Harm Report 2020", the smoking rate of people over 15 years old in China was 26.6% in 2018, of which 50.5% were male and only 2.1% were female. In addition, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open, a subsidiary of the Journal of the American Medical Association in June 2022, low-intensity daily activities such as housework can significantly reduce the risk of stroke. In Chinese families, women undertake more housework. Therefore, there is a reason why stroke "favors" men so much. To prevent stroke, we should start by controlling risk factors!
The more risk factors there are, the greater the risk of stroke; conversely, the fewer risk factors there are, the lower the risk of stroke. Therefore, stroke prevention should start with controlling risk factors!
1. Quit smoking and limit alcohol consumption<br /> There is little difference in the risk factors for stroke between men and women, but the rate of men smoking and drinking is much higher than that of women, suggesting that the higher rate of stroke in men may be related to more tobacco inhalation and alcohol intake. Therefore, stroke prevention advocates that everyone quit smoking and limit alcohol consumption.
2. Stabilize blood pressure <br /> Hypertension is the biggest independent risk factor for stroke that can be intervened. If blood pressure can be well controlled at an ideal level, the probability of stroke will be greatly reduced. Blood pressure should be controlled within 140/90 mmHg. Patients with diabetes or kidney disease can control it in a lower range.
The most commonly used antihypertensive drugs in clinical practice are ACEI (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors), such as benazepril, enalapril, perindopril, etc. They can not only effectively lower blood pressure, but also have a certain protective effect on blood vessels. They are the treatment drugs for many patients with hypertension.
3. Control blood lipids <br /> Dyslipidemia usually refers to elevated cholesterol and triglycerides in plasma, commonly known as hyperlipidemia. Dyslipidemia usually has no clinical symptoms and is an "invisible killer". Patients can often only detect it through blood tests, which leads to many people having dyslipidemia without knowing it.
Both Chinese and Western medicine have good therapeutic effects on the treatment of dyslipidemia. Commonly used lipid-lowering drugs in Western medicine include statins and fibrates. For patients with high total cholesterol, statins are often used for treatment; for patients with elevated triglycerides, fibrates may be the first choice. It should be noted that for the treatment of dyslipidemia, it is recommended to individualize the medication according to the severity of the patient's dyslipidemia.
For example, patients with mild hyperlipidemia and cholesterol levels between 5.2 and 6.2 can use Chinese medicine to lower blood lipids. Chinese patent medicines commonly used in clinical practice, such as Beijing Tongrentang Xiaoshuan Tongluo Tablets, have good therapeutic effects on elevated cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein. They can also reduce blood viscosity, prevent platelet aggregation, and play a role in preventing stroke.
4. Exercise appropriately <br /> Long-term sitting increases the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. In other words, the length of time spent sitting is significantly and independently associated with the risk of stroke. It is recommended that adults do moderate to high-intensity aerobic exercise for 30 minutes a day, five times a week, or at least 150 minutes a week.
Age, gender, race, and heredity are risk factors that cannot be changed. However, hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, overweight or obesity, and unhealthy lifestyles are risk factors that can be changed. Therefore, we must control the risk factors that can be changed, especially in the winter when stroke is most common. We should be more vigilant and it is best to prepare emergency drugs such as blood pressure control, antiplatelet and antithrombotic drugs. In case of an emergency, taking them in time can buy precious time for rescue. |
