Keep constant tabs on blood pressure to avoid stroke: Experts
A 40-year-old man, a blood pressure patient, suffered a stroke a day before here and died on Thursday which coincided with World Stroke Day.
His medical history revealed that he belonged to poor economic background and had stopped taking medicines despite being a patient of blood pressure— the most common risk factor for stroke.
A stroke is a brain attack that occurs when blood supply to part of human brain is interrupted or reduced, preventing brain tissue from getting oxygen and nutrients. A simple blood pressure (BP) monitoring /medication can reduce the chances of stroke by up to 40% but there has been an increase in the number of stroke patients in the past three months in Lucknow, say doctors.
“Everyday four or five stroke patients come to our department and the commonest cause is blood pressure,” said Prof RK Garg, head of neurology department at King George’s Medical University (KGMU).
“One should understand that the stroke is a problem of weak vessels. Hence, all individuals should ensure their blood vessels are not aged more than their actual age. This happens due to incorrect blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol problem and obesity. The message is blood vessel age should always be less than your age and this can be done by avoiding the above four problems,” said Prof Kauser Usman, senior faculty at the department of medicine, King George’s Medical University.
A normal person, doctors say, can get their blood pressure monitored every three months after the age of 25 and if there is no problem, the same can be continued to make sure they do not suffer stroke.
“As age progresses, the risk of stroke too increases because the chances of blood vessels becoming weak increase. Another risk factor is family history of stroke. So, if a person has family history, they need to be extra cautious,” said Dr Abhishek Shukla, secretary general Association of International Doctors. “Elderly people suffer more as their lifestyle changes after retirement,” he added. “Stroke is sudden neurological imbalance of half of the body and in rare cases full body. It happens due to clotting or haemorrhage. For example, a person may get stroke after having meals and while watching TV in a relax mode also,” said Prof Garg.