Islamabad

One in four adults may suffer a stroke

Health experts stress need to raise awareness about preventive measures

Razya Khan October 29, 2020

A scan of a brain used in a study carried out by Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School which associates the brain region called the amygdala, an area linked to stress, to greater risk of heart disease and stroke is seen in an undated image released January 11, 2017 by The Lancet which published the reasearch. PHOTO: REUTERS

ISLAMABAD:

One in every four adults in the country may suffer from a heart stroke in their lifetime and that there is a need to raise awareness about stroke risks and preventive measures.

This was stressed by health experts on Wednesday during a seminar at Shifa International Hospital linked to World Stroke Day.

MNA Sadaqat Ali Abbasi, who was the chief guest, said that he will promote stroke awareness at the public level through all possible means, including legislation and public service messages. He further said that awareness messages should be short and simple so that the layman can understand them.

Shifa International Hospital (SIH) Consultant Neurologist and Head of Department Professor Dr Maimoona Siddiqui said that unlike the heart attack, a stroke is like a brain attack which happens when blood supply to the brain is cut off - through a clot or haemorrhage in the brain. “We know that 80% of strokes can be prevented by addressing a small number of risk factors, including hypertension, diet, smoking, lack of exercise and environment,” said Dr Siddiqui, who is also the vice president of the Pakistan Society of Neurology (PSN).

She added that stroke survivors can face significant impairment in movement, speech, cognition alongside debilitating psychological, social and financial problems.

Dr Husnain Hashim, the head of the department and a consultant neurologist at the Fauji Foundation Hospital (FFH), emphasized on the need to open additional stroke units while the quantity of trained staff available in the country, both in the public and private sectors, should be enhanced.

Being the vice president of the Pakistan Stroke Society (PSS), he highlighted the role of PSN and PSS in providing stroke care across the country.

SIH Consultant Stroke Specialist Dr Raja Farhat Shoaib said that around 15 million people across the globe suffer a stroke every year, while 5.8 million people die from it - or just over a third.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 29^th, 2020.