China News Service, Beijing, February 7 (Shao Meng and Sun Yuan) In recent years, the incidence of stroke among Chinese residents has been on the rise. The "China Stroke Prevention and Treatment Report (2023)" shows that on average, one person in my country has a first or recurrent stroke every 10 seconds, and one person dies from a stroke every 28 seconds. The number of people aged 40 and above currently suffering from stroke reaches 12.42 million, and the incidence rate is getting younger.
Nowadays, the younger generation of stroke has gradually become a global problem. From 1990 to 2010, the global incidence rate among adults aged 20 to 64 years increased by 25%.
What exactly is a stroke? Why are young people at high risk for stroke? How to prevent stroke?
What is a stroke?
Stroke, also known as "brain stroke", is an acute cerebrovascular disease. In severe cases, consciousness disorder and limb paralysis can occur. The two most common types are cerebral hemorrhage and cerebral infarction, of which cerebral infarction accounts for about 80%-90%.
A popular science article published by Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital shows that stroke is the second leading cause of death in the world and the "number one killer" of death in our country. It has the terrible "three highs": high morbidity, high mortality, and high disability rate.
Stroke is more common in winter
Stroke is a winter "epidemic". Dong Yi, deputy chief physician of the Department of Neurology, Huashan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, said in an interview with the media that there is a certain connection between cold waves and stroke. The cold stress experienced by the human body may trigger a series of physiological changes, including reactions in the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular systems. These changes may have an impact on the risk of stroke.
Why are stroke patients getting younger?
A popular science article published by the Sixth Affiliated Hospital of South China University of Technology shows that young stroke patients have several common features:
1.Bad living habits
Long-term uncontrolled eating and frequent consumption of high-fat and high-calorie foods can lead to obesity. Add to that long periods of sitting, lack of exercise, staying up late, smoking and drinking alcohol. These bad living habits will make the blood vessels no longer smooth and the smooth blood will gradually become clogged.
2. Staying up late exhausts your energy and energy.
Long-term lack of sleep is also a risk factor for atherosclerosis, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, coronary heart disease, diabetes, and obesity, which further contribute to the occurrence of stroke.
3. Overly “confident” in one’s body
Some young people know that they have chronic diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes, but they think they are still young and ignore them. If you don't usually check up, don't treat, don't follow the doctor's advice, or if you occasionally check up and take some medicine, it will be regarded as completing the "mission". It is this kind of carelessness that causes the premature decline of young people's physiques. They become panicked and short of breath when doing the slightest activity, and feel dizzy when staying up late.
How to quickly identify a stroke?
Formula 1: 120
“1”: See an asymmetrical face;
"2": Whether there is unilateral weakness in both arms;
"0": Listen (zero) to see if the speech is clear;
If any of the symptoms occurs suddenly, it is most likely a stroke and you should call 120 immediately.
Tip 2: BE?FAST
"B": Balance, loss of balance or coordination, sudden difficulty in walking;
“E”: Eyes, sudden vision changes, difficulty seeing;
“F”: Face, facial asymmetry, mouth corners crooked;
“A”: Arms, sudden weakness or numbness in the arm, usually on one side of the body;
“S”: Speech (language), speaking vaguely and being unable to understand other people’s language;
“T”: Time. The above symptoms indicate the possibility of a stroke. Don’t wait for the symptoms to disappear on their own. Call 120 immediately.
Additionally, timing is very important after a stroke. A popular science article published by Foshan CDC shows that for stroke patients, when cerebral ischemia exceeds 4.5 hours, irreversible damage to brain cells will occur: lifelong slurred speech, limb paralysis, disability, coma and even death. Only by racing against time can the maximum be achieved. Reduce brain damage.
If symptoms can be detected within a short period of time and treated promptly, the disability and mortality rates caused by stroke can be greatly reduced.
How to prevent stroke in life?
Wu Jianyu, deputy chief physician of the Department of Encephalology at Nanjing Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine in Jiangsu Province, said in an interview with the media that the "1-2-0" principle can be followed in preventing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases such as stroke.
"1" means drinking 1 more glass of water in the morning and evening
In the early morning, blood flow is relatively slow, which is a time of high incidence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Drinking a glass of warm water in the morning can help dilute the blood and reduce the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
When sleeping at night, the blood flow slows down. If the blood viscosity increases, it is easy to form thrombotic diseases. Drinking an appropriate amount of warm water can dilute the blood and prevent ischemic stroke. But don’t drink tea or other drinks before going to bed.
"2" means to bring a two-piece suit when going out in cold weather
The two-piece set refers to a hat and a scarf. When the temperature is too low in winter, blood vessels will constrict, causing poor blood circulation and a high probability of disease. Try to wear a hat and scarf when going out when the temperature is low.
"0" means eating more round fruits and vegetables appropriately
Studies have shown that eating more white fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. The so-called white fruits and vegetables refer to foods with white flesh, including fruits with round white flesh such as apples and pears. It is recommended to eat an apple and other white fruits every day to prevent the occurrence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. (over)