To prevent cerebral infarction, you cannot just rely on folic acid supplementation, but also pay attention to these two diseases

A friend left a message to Huazi, asking how to save oneself in case of acute cerebral infarction. He heard that folic acid supplementation can prevent cerebral infarction. How much should be supplemented every day? Huazi said that the "time window" for blood vessels to reopen after cerebral infarction is only 6 hours. Self-help in case of cerebral infarction is to go to the hospital for thrombolysis or thrombectomy in the shortest time possible to reopen the blood vessels.

The best way to deal with cerebral infarction is to prevent it from happening, but you cannot rely solely on folic acid supplementation. You must also pay attention to atherosclerosis and atrial fibrillation. These two diseases are the main causes of cerebral infarction.

1. Cerebral infarction is the “number one killer”

Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases are the leading cause of death among residents in my country, among which stroke ranks first, and cerebral infarction (ischemic stroke) accounts for about 80% of all strokes, making it the veritable "number one killer."

When a cerebral infarction occurs, complete ischemia for 4 to 6 minutes will cause the death of brain nerve cells. Once nerve cells die, there is no way to regenerate them with current medical technology .

Therefore, cerebral infarction not only has a high mortality rate, but also a high disability rate. 60% to 70% of patients with cerebral infarction will have sequelae, leading to problems with limb movement, language, cognition and other functions.

2. Can folic acid supplementation prevent cerebral infarction?

Folic acid does not directly prevent cerebral infarction, but it can reduce the level of homocysteine ​​in the blood . Modern medicine believes that elevated homocysteine ​​is a risk factor for cerebral infarction, so taking folic acid to reduce its level can prevent cerebral infarction.

However, the medical community has always been controversial about this theory . Some studies have shown that even if the level of homocysteine ​​is lowered, the risk of cerebral infarction cannot be reduced. It is believed that the increase in homocysteine ​​is the "result" of the increased risk of cerebral infarction, rather than the "cause" of cerebral infarction.

To put it in an analogy, the danger of cerebral infarction is like boiling a kettle of water. When the water boils, steam will come out, and this steam is homocysteine. Taking folic acid tablets is like adding a cooling device to the kettle, eliminating the steam, but the water in the kettle is still boiling, and the risk of cerebral infarction is not eliminated.

Prevention of cerebral infarction is a comprehensive issue and cannot be solved by controlling a single indicator . However, regular folic acid supplementation has no obvious adverse reactions to the human body and can be taken. The commonly used dose for preventing cerebral infarction is 0.8 mg per day . Folic acid has a certain gastrointestinal irritation, and taking it after meals can reduce the irritation.

3. Pay attention to two diseases to prevent cerebral infarction

There are two main diseases that cause cerebral infarction, one is atherosclerosis and the other is atrial fibrillation .

Atherosclerosis is the appearance of atherosclerotic plaques in the cerebral arteries due to smoking, high blood pressure, high blood lipids, high blood sugar, etc. When the plaques rupture, they will induce blood clots and cause blockage of the cerebral arteries.

On the basis of controlling risk factors, statins should be taken to increase the stability of plaques and avoid rupture. For those with high risk, antiplatelet drugs such as aspirin and clopidogrel should be taken to prevent platelet aggregation and thrombosis.

Atrial fibrillation is caused by various heart diseases. If the heart cannot pump blood normally, blood clots may form in the atrial appendages and block the cerebral arteries. The primary disease needs to be treated, and atrial fibrillation can be controlled by drugs, electrical stimulation, ablation, etc. If atrial fibrillation cannot be controlled, anticoagulant drugs such as warfarin and rivaroxaban need to be used to prevent thrombosis.

People with atherosclerosis or persistent atrial fibrillation should understand that these two diseases cannot be completely cured and require long-term regular medication to reduce the risk of cerebral infarction . As long as there are no serious adverse drug reactions or contraindications, the medication cannot be stopped. Most people need to take medication for life .

In summary, to prevent the occurrence of cerebral infarction, comprehensive prevention is needed on the basis of maintaining a healthy lifestyle and rational use of drugs. Folic acid supplementation alone cannot prevent cerebral infarction. Atherosclerosis and atrial fibrillation are the main "culprits" of cerebral infarction, which need to be controlled by drugs under the guidance of a doctor. If you have any questions about medication, please consult a doctor or pharmacist. I am pharmacist Huazi, welcome to follow me and share more health knowledge.