Stroke, fourth top killer

Ridma Dissanayake

Around six million deaths have been reported annually due to stroke throughout the world. Around 80 percent out of this occur among low and middle income countries. It ranks as the fourth leading cause of deaths in the world. It is the leading cause of hospital deaths in Sri Lanka. It is the commonest cause for adult disability sparing no age, sex, ethnicity or country as well, a Health Ministry spokesman said.

One person in the world die every six seconds due to stroke and one becomes the victim of stroke every second. Around 40 to 50 persons in Sri Lanka die daily due to stoke, the spokesman said.

Stroke is one of the leading Non Communicable Diseases (NCD) and can be prevented and treated. The sudden development of symptoms such as weakness or numbness of one side of the body, loss vision of one eye, impaired vision of one half of the visual field, speech disturbances in the form of difficulty in articulation or change in language, giddiness, vertigo with loss of balance of the body and severe headache can lead to a stroke, he said.

Eighty five percent of patients succumb to stroke when their blood vessels get blocked interrupting the blood supply to a certain part of the brain. Others get a stroke due to a rupture of blood vessels that leads to bleeding in the brain tissue. The main reason for both these situations is thickening of blood vessels.

The spokesman said the number of stroke patients in Sri Lanka doubled every 10 years.

A stroke can be prevented through long term treatment. However, stroke is preventable with behaviourial changes. The main modifiable risk factors include smoking, alcohol use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and excess fat. One can reduce an unhealthy diet by minimising salt and oil, increasing fruit and vegetable consumption. Physical inactivity can be reduced by spending at least 30 minutes a day on moderate physical activities and exercise.

Reducing excess fat and maintaining an optimal weight can also prevent strokes.