Original popular science article: Scientifically prevent and treat stroke and enjoy good health

Editor: Ma Yonglan Reviewer: Yang Pengbin

(Xu Aiqin) To make the beneficiaries aware of the health knowledge of stroke prevention, to raise people's awareness of stroke prevention, to prevent people from getting the disease or to delay the disease, and to achieve a series of health goals of the Healthy China Action.

Stroke has become the leading cause of death and disability in my country, seriously threatening the health of the people. my country's stroke prevention and treatment work still faces huge challenges, and prevention and treatment efforts need to be further strengthened. To this end, the former Ministry of Health launched the stroke screening and prevention project in 2009, and formally established the Stroke Prevention and Treatment Project Committee (referred to as the "National Stroke Prevention Committee") in 2011, and formulated a 32-word prevention and control strategy of "moving the checkpoints forward, sinking the center of gravity, improving literacy, leading to education, interdisciplinary cooperation, standardized diagnosis and treatment, high-risk screening, and targeted intervention."

On October 25, 2016, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council issued and implemented the "Healthy China 2030" Planning Outline (hereinafter referred to as the "Outline"), which was formulated in accordance with the strategic deployment of the Fifth Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee to promote the construction of a healthy China and improve the health level of the people. The Outline points out that it is necessary to popularize health science knowledge, actively build and standardize various radio and television health programs, and use new media to expand health education. Solving the problem of stroke prevention and treatment is of great significance to improving the health level of the people and reducing the burden on families and society.

Although stroke is scary, most cases are preventable and treatable. It is a preventable and controllable disease. Early screening and active intervention are effective. More than 90% of strokes can be prevented by controlling the following risk factors.

1. Risk factors for stroke:

1. Hypertension

Hypertension is one of the most common risk factors for cerebrovascular disease and the leading risk factor for premature death worldwide. The awareness and control rates of hypertension among Chinese residents are not optimistic, and the incidence and disability rates of hypertension-related diseases remain high.

2. Diabetes

The 2017 Global Diabetes Overview reported by the International Diabetes Federation shows that the number of adults (20-79 years old) with diabetes in my country is as high as 114.4 million, of which 34.1 million patients are over 65 years old. China is the country with the largest number of diabetes patients in the world, and the prevalence rate is growing at the fastest rate. The awareness and treatment rates of diabetes are higher among the elderly, women and urban populations.

3. Dyslipidemia

Dyslipidemia is one of the most important risk factors for the development of atherosclerosis and an important independent risk factor for stroke.

4. Heart disease

4.1 Atrial fibrillation: Cardioembolic strokes account for 14%-30% of ischemic strokes, while atrial fibrillation (AF) accounts for about 70% of cardiogenic strokes. The risk of cerebral infarction in patients with AF is 5 times higher than that of normal people.

4.2 Patent foramen ovale: Patent foramen ovale has been confirmed by many epidemiological studies as a new independent risk factor for stroke. A foreign study in 1988 found that among stroke patients aged <55 years, the prevalence of patent foramen ovale was 21% in those with a clear cause, 40% in those with an unknown cause but a stroke risk factor, and as high as 54% in those with an unknown cause and no risk factors.

5. Smoking

In 2018, Tongji Hospital of Huazhong University of Science and Technology analyzed the data of three national large-scale health service surveys in 2003, 2008 and 2013, showing that my country's standardized smoking rate has remained at a high level. Quitting smoking can reduce the incidence of stroke and improve stroke prognosis and recurrence.

6. Alcohol intake

According to the 2018 Global Report on Alcohol and Health, in 2016, about 3 million people died from alcohol use, accounting for 5.3% of the total global deaths, most of whom were men. Studies have shown that heavy drinking can increase the risk of stroke by 20% and increase stroke-related mortality by 16%, and is positively correlated with the amount of alcohol consumed.

7. Unreasonable diet

With the rapid development of my country's social economy, the dietary structure and eating habits of residents have also undergone tremendous changes. The dietary characteristics have gradually tended towards a high-energy, high-fat and high-sugar pattern, increasing the risk of chronic diseases.

8. Overweight or obese

The prevalence of overweight and obesity among Chinese residents is generally increasing rapidly. According to the national physical fitness monitoring data of 22 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) in 2014, the crude prevalence of overweight among urban and rural residents aged 20-69 was 34.26%, and the prevalence among rural residents was higher than that among urban residents (34.70% vs. 34.03%). A number of evidence-based medical studies have confirmed that overweight and obesity increase the risk of stroke.

9. Not enough physical activity

Many studies at home and abroad have shown that insufficient physical activity is a risk factor for stroke, while regular physical exercise can reduce the risk of stroke. In recent years, Chinese teenagers have faced the dual challenges of insufficient physical activity and excessive sitting time.

10. Psychological factors

Psychological factors increase the risk of stroke. Results from a prospective study of chronic diseases in China published in 2016 showed that severe depressive episodes increase the risk of stroke by 15%.

2. How to Identify Stroke

For stroke patients, time is life. When the brain is ischemic for more than 3 hours, brain cells will suffer irreversible damage: disability, coma, vegetative state... Quickly identify stroke and race against time to save lives!

1. Know the signs of stroke early:

1. Hemianopsia and diplopia: Half of the visual field of both eyes cannot see things or see things as double.

2. Hemisensory disorder: numbness and discomfort on one side of the face or limbs.

3. Ataxia: unsteady walking, swaying from side to side, and uncoordinated movements.

4. Vertigo: Seeing things spinning or feeling yourself spinning.

5. Difficulty in pronunciation and swallowing: tongue becomes tied when speaking and choking when drinking water.

6. Aphasia: Unable to speak or understand what others or oneself say.

7. Hemiplegia: weakness on one side of the body or sudden fall without warning.

8. Headache, nausea and vomiting: confusion or coma.

2. Help you identify stroke early

Promptly detect the following key symptoms of stroke, and call 120 for medical treatment as soon as possible if any abnormalities are found.

Check balance: loss of balance or coordination, sudden difficulty walking

Check vision: sudden vision changes, difficulty seeing

Look at the face: facial asymmetry, crooked corners of the mouth

Look at your arms: Sudden weakness or numbness in your arms, usually on one side of the body

Hearing and language: speech difficulties, difficulty understanding

The above symptoms may mean a stroke is occurring. Do not wait for them to go away on their own.

Call for medical assistance immediately

When dialing 120 to send the patient to the hospital for emergency treatment, it is important not only to be fast, but also to send the patient to the right hospital. You should choose a hospital that has a stroke center and is qualified to provide emergency treatment.

3. Things to note in daily life after stroke:

Maintaining a good lifestyle is essential to prevent stroke recurrence

A good lifestyle is as follows:

1. Adhere to reasonable and regular exercise: Healthy adults can reduce the risk of stroke by 30% by doing at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week. Moderate-intensity exercise includes the following: cycling, speed <6 km/h. Walking, speed ≤6.4 km/h, walking 7,000-10,000 steps a day is equivalent to 20-50 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity. Dancing, social dancing or square dancing. Doing housework, making beds, moving tables and chairs, mopping the floor, hand-washing clothes, sweeping carpets and other activities.

2. Quit smoking and limit alcohol consumption: Excessive drinking increases the risk of stroke, so it is best to quit drinking. If you must drink, it is recommended to drink only once a day, no more than 1.5 taels of liquor, no more than 4 taels of wine, and no more than 1 bottle of beer.

3. Healthy diet: limit fat and cholesterol in the diet, eat less fried food, reduce the amount of cooking oil, eat less fatty meat. Do not eat too much salty food, such as processed canned food, eat more fresh food.

4. Yang Guan mentality: maintain an optimistic and stable mood

4. Preventing the time when stroke is prone to occur

1. When you are overexcited

2. When you suddenly go from a warm room to a cold toilet

3. When straining to go to the toilet

4. When you are under too much pressure or overwork at work

5. Taking a bath in winter

6. When sweating a lot during exercise in summer