The national day of the patient with stroke, marked on March 31st, It is important to remember that this terrible disease remains one of the main causes of death and disability all over the world.
By Tiago Gregório *
You are reading an article without paid access. Make a donation to help keep the newspaper for free online.
The stroke occurs when the flow of blood in a part of the brain is interrupted, by obstruction of an artery (the most common) or the breakdown of a blood vessel (less frequent). Regardless of the cause, the deprivation of the tissue and the brain nutrients of oxygen leads to permanent or even death brain lesions, especially when patients do not receive timely treatment.
Despite the success of reperfusion treatments in recent years, prevention remains the best strategy. Several risk factors associated with this disease are modifiable, that is to say:
1- Hypertension: it is the most important risk factor for stroke. Look regularly at your arterial tension.
2- Diabetes: check the blood sugar levels through healthy diet, physical activity and adequate drugs.
3- Colesterol: Keep adequate cholesterol levels to avoid the accumulation of fat plates in the arteries that can lead to the obstruction of the blood flow to the brain.
4- smoke: don’t smoke. Smoking damages blood vessels and increases the probability of coaguli formation. If you are a smoker, consult the doctor to quit smoking as there are treatments that can help. Also reduce alcohol consumption.
Previous aspects should be adopted in the context of a healthy lifestyle, a regular exercise and a balanced diet. Also maintain a suitable weight. When these measures are not enough, consult your doctor to discover the available treatments.
Finally, do not forget the stroke alarm signs: if you have your mouth, sudden weakness on the one hand of the body or difficulty speaking, call 112
Be faster than a blow!
* Coordinator of the nucleus of the studies on the crazy vascular disease of the Portuguese society of internal medicine.
Follow the newsdeaveiro.pt channel on WhatsApp.
Advertising and services
»You can quickly activate promotional campaigns in the online newspaper NotíciaiasseAveiro.pt, as well as requesting other services. Consult information to include online advertising.
