Bengaluru: The sedentary lifestyle of the people has enhanced the risk of various health issues, like diabetes, blood pressure and stroke. Stroke is one of the leading causes of disability and also the third most common cause of death. Unfortunately, more youngsters are falling prey to such attacks in recent days.
Ahead of the World Stroke Day on October 29, city doctors said that nearly 200 people per one lakh population, especially youngsters, are getting affected by strokes annually, which is a serious public health concern.
After a consistent numbness on his left side for about 30 minutes, 18-year-old Raghunath (name changed), a second-semester engineering student, was shifted to a local hospital on suspicion of an acute stroke. He was later referred to a private hospital. At the emergency room, he was semiconscious with complete paralysis of left hand and leg.
An MRI scan revealed a large stroke in the right part of his brain. Raghunath was presented within 3 hours to BGS Gleneagles Global Hospital, where a brain angiogram was performed and the clot was removed. As the swelling in the brain was increasing, he underwent a decompress craniotomy surgery and was shifted to the ICU. He remained comatose for the next 48 hours and was given medications to reduce the swelling in the brain. He recovered significantly over the next five days.
As he suffered a stroke at a very young age, genetic testing was done and he was found to be positive for a rare clotting factor deficiency (Protein S). He was suggested lifelong medications for stroke with regular follow-ups.
On the importance of getting the patient to the hospital within the golden hour the first 3 to 4 hours of stroke, Dr Suryanarayana Sharma, Consultant, Neurologist & Stroke Specialist, Head-Division of Stroke & Neurosonology, BGS Gleneagles Global Hospitals, said, “Due to rapid advances in acute stroke management, more lives can be saved and the risk of death as well as disability can be reduced. Fortunately, there is an increased awareness about stroke and it facilitates in transferring stroke patients to stroke-ready hospitals within the golden hour.”
Any family history of stroke at a young age should be seriously looked into and other family members should go through stroke screening to prevent a life-threatening problem, Dr Sharma said.
Dr Preethi Singh, Neurologist at HOSMAT Hospital, said, “Peer pressure, smoking and drinking alcohol is the main reason why stroke is seen more among the younger generation. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is the only option to avoid the risk of stroke.”
