Examination of cerebral vessels at least once in youth is a way to detect cerebral vascular malformations, the leading cause of stroke.
Doctor Nguyen Van Tuyen, Stroke Center, Military Central Hospital 108, said that to prevent the risk of stroke in both the young and the elderly, the first and most important thing is to have periodic health examinations. However, the majority of people rarely go to medical examination, or only have periodic health checks to screen for liver function, kidney, cancer … Few people pay attention to the risk factor for stroke.
In young people, cerebral vascular malformation is one of the leading causes of stroke. Cerebral vascular malformations can be either congenital or undergo many years to develop. There are two methods of examining cerebral vessels are cerebral vascular resonance imaging and cerebral vascular scan If a vascular malformation is found, the doctor will treat the aortic node before it ruptures.
Doctors recommend that not only the elderly need to have cerebral vascular screening, but also young people should also have a screening, at least once. The cost is about 1.9 to 2.5 million per time, depending on computer tomography or magnetic resonance.
In addition, carotid ultrasound can also screen for risk. Carotid artery stenosis is very common, but few people pay attention to examination and treatment. Many cases doctors neglect when clinically examining patients. A stroke occurs, 25-30% is due to stenosis of the carotid artery.
The carotid artery is quite large in size, located in the neck, and consists of the left carotid artery and the right carotid artery that can be felt on the sides of the neck. The carotid arteries carry blood from the heart to nourish the brain. Stenosis of the carotid artery is caused by plaque thickening from the vessel wall, reducing cerebral blood flow. Atheroma can cause local or moving thromboembolism that blocks cerebral vessels. Carotid stenosis is one of the important causes of cerebral infarction stroke and transient ischemic attack.
Doctors recommend an ultrasound of the carotid circuit of the annual examination, the price is only 150,000-200,000.
In the elderly, the sign of stroke is usually from transient ischemic attacks, but many people ignore it. About 12% of patients with a transient ischemic attack experience a stroke within the next 3 months. Doctors recommend that the best way to prevent stroke is when there are transient anemia attacks, the patient should not be subjective but need to immediately go to the hospital to diagnose and promptly treat.
Treatment of stroke patients at Military Hospital 108. Photo: Thuy Quynh
Dr. Tran Quang Thang, Head of Emergency and Stroke Department, Central Geriatric Hospital, said Brain stroke is a preventable disease by measures against risk factors such as treatment for dyslipidemia, blood glucose control, blood pressure control …
For the primary prevention group that has never had a stroke, patients need to see their doctor regularly to detect risk factors early and control them early, especially those with diabetes, blood pressure, and cholesterol. should visit once a month.
For the secondary prevention group, who had had a stroke, the doctor said these cases had a high risk of recurrence. Patients should adhere to the indications of examination, treatment, not to stop or quit drugs in the middle. Do not use supplements to replace medications. Patients should have a diet rich in vitamins and minerals, limit eating too much fat, control weight, prevent obesity.
Follow a reasonable salt and potassium diet, reduce salty foods to prevent high blood pressure. The general recommended dietary allowance is no more than 6 grams of table salt per day. Get more potassium by eating more fresh fruits and vegetables. Keep your body weight within limits. Quit smoking completely because smoking increases the risk of stroke and coronary artery disease, especially in those who smoke more than 40 cigarettes a day.
Exercise to lower risk factors such as lowering blood pressure, reducing obesity, and limiting the progression of atherosclerosis. The average exercise is a regular 30-minute walk every day. Being able to cycle or swim for at least 30 minutes once a day, 5 days a week is also very helpful.
According to experts, other causes of stroke are smoking habits, obesity and inactivity, diabetes, high blood pressure, drinking alcohol … About 50% of young stroke patients smoke. leaves. Cigarettes contain about 7,000 chemical toxins such as carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, arsenic and cyanide. These toxins enter the bloodstream after being absorbed into the lungs, altering and destroying the cells in the body, increasing the risk of atherosclerosis, damage to brain blood vessels.
Brain stroke is one of the diseases that burden the family and society because the cost of treatment is very high and the rate of disability is very heavy. It is preventable when we detect and treat risk factors early. Experts said that once a stroke has occurred, the patient should be promptly admitted to the hospital in the stroke unit (center) for timely treatment to reduce the rate of death and disability. Doctors recommend building a healthy lifestyle to avoid the risk of stroke in particular and other diseases in general.
Thuy Quynh – Thuy An
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