India is currently facing a double burden of both communicable and non-communicable diseases. Stroke is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in India attributing to around 30% of the overall morbidity. It is estimated that, in every 40 seconds someone suffers from stroke and a person dies of stroke in every four minutes globally.
“With the lifestyle changes and adoption of unhealthy habits like lack of physical exercise, smoking and excessive alcohol consumption, and new cases of stroke are likely to be seen in the younger generation of the country. In this fast pace of life advent of technology has made our life easier, but also has reduced the amount of physical activity.
Due to increased stress as well as rising incidences of diabetes and hypertension, there is a sudden shift in the age bracket of developing lifestyle ailments. Regular exercise not only helps in maintaining the overall health but also keeps at bay a list full of diseases. There are lot of ways to stay active, even if you find difficult to move around. You need to adapt or new activities. If you are currently receiving any medication then do consult your doctor. They will advise for new exercises and activities to try.
According to the recent study conducted by University of North California, Indians developed ischemic stroke at a younger age in comparison to participants from other developed countries. Apart from the common factors (poor eating habits, alcohol and smoking), high prevalence of physical inactivity among Indian group was the major contributing factor.
As per the study, the average age for Indians suffering a stroke attack was 52 years in comparison to 71 years among Americans. The major reason attributable was physical inactivity with 94% of the patients from India suffering a small vessel occlusion in comparison to 60% population in the US. The study also estimated that in comparison to US patients (who had already suffered from mini-stroke) only 2% of the Indian patient suffering from stroke had regular exercise (5 times a week) as per recommendation.
Stroke is a reversible disease provided one comes to the hospital on time and the appropriate treatment is provided. In almost 70% of the cases, all the symptoms can be reduced/ reversed. Delay of every minute in seeking the right treatment leads to loss of about 20 lakh brain cells per minute and hence it is extremely a time dependent therapy. The golden window period to arrive to a stroke unit should be within six hours of stroke attack, delaying which would lead to irreversible damage causing permanent disability in around 80% of the cases.
Stroke is Treatable, and this is the message we are helping to promote on World Stroke Day. Early recognition makes a big difference and can lead to unbelievable outcomes during treatment. We encourage the public to recognize and learn the signs of stroke – FAST (Face drooping; Arm weakness; Speech slurred; Time to call an ambulance) and know to take immediate action. We encourage everyone, young as well as old to get more active physically and reduce the screen time
The writer is Group Director & Head of Neurointervention at Paras Hospital, GurugramA
