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EMU Dr. Fazıl Küçük Faculty of Medicine Releases a Statement on 10 May Stroke Awareness Day

Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) Dr. Fazıl Küçük Medicine Faculty academic staff member and Marmara University Faculty of Medicine Neurology Department academic staff member, Stroke Center Manager Prof. Dr. İpek Midi wrote an article for 10 May Stroke Awareness Day. Prof. Dr. Midi stated the following in her article:

Stroke ranks third among causes of death and first among causes of permanent disability. 10 May is observed as "Stroke Awareness Day" in order to raise awareness in this common disease group and to draw attention to the improvement of protective and therapeutic conditions. According to the data of the World Health Organization, approximately 15 million people have a stroke every year; to express this in minutes, 1 person has a stroke every 40 seconds, and every 3 minutes a person dies due to stroke.

Stroke can occur as a result of the blockage of one of the vessels feeding the brain or the decrease in blood flow to the brain, the first of which is called obstructive stroke and the second one is called hemorrhagic stroke. Occlusive stroke accounts for approximately 80–85% of all strokes. Although stroke is frequently seen over the age of 65, it can occur at any age. "

How Can We Avoid Stroke?

“Stroke is a treatable and preventable disease. Here, controlling the risk factor that causes stroke is the most important part. What are these risk factors and how can we avoid them?

1. High blood pressure, hypertension, increases the risk of stroke 4-5 times.

2. High blood lipids and sugar are among the factors that double the risk of stroke. Restricting salt in our diet and avoiding fatty and sugary foods are among the simplest measures to be taken.

3. Another risk factor is the heart disease. Among these, atrial fibrillation is the most common cardiac rhythm disorder and is the cause of about half of heart-related strokes.

4. Stopping smoking and abstinence from alcohol are other important factors in preventing stroke.

5. Increasing physical activity is also one of the protective measures. 45-minute walks, which can be done daily or 3 days a week, will not only help you lose weight, but also make your blood pressure more regular, and lower your blood fat and sugar levels. You should have a goal of 10,000 steps per day.

6. With a parameter called body mass index calculated according to your height and weight, you should calculate whether you are in the normal, fat or obese category and plan a healthy diet accordingly. Especially the diet style we call the Mediterranean diet which contains food items such as fish, vegetables, fruit and salad is the most important type of nutrition in preventing from having a stroke.

7. If the necessary measures are taken to avoid these risk factors, the probability of having a stroke decreases by 90%. For this reason, knowing the symptoms and risk factors of stroke and increasing the awareness of stroke will reduce the incidence of stroke in the community.”

“What are the Symptoms of a Stroke?”

Weakness on one side of the body, inability to lift one's arm and leg, loss of sensation, speech disorder or inability to speak, sliding to one side in the mouth, double vision, change in consciousness and difficulty walking are among the symptoms of stroke. As soon as these symptoms occur, 112 should be called immediately and the patient should be transferred to the nearest stroke center. After the symptoms appear in stroke, time is of the essence. The sooner it is acted upon, the sooner it is intervened, the less functional loss will occur in the patient.

For this reason, the clot is dissolved with intravenous treatment within the first 4.5 hours after the symptoms appear. In addition, the benefit is greater if the removal of the clot by angio method is performed within the first 6 hours. However, in the light of recent studies, removal of the clot with angiography is extended to the first 24 hours in eligible patients. Therefore, in order to prevent stroke, it is necessary to protect ourselves from the risk factors mentioned above and in case of stroke, contact 112 immediately and be referred to a center where acute stroke treatment is applied. With my wishes of a healthy and stroke-free life ... "