DUBAI – Brain attack is the second leading cause of death and the fifth largest cause of severe disability.
Only one third of stroke-affected persons are able to walk independently, said Dr Prem Kumar Sinha, Specialist Neurologist at Zulekha Hospital, Dubai.
Unlike heart attack, brain attack does not cause any pain; hence patient ignores it for some time.
“During the last decade, clot buster therapy for brain attack has helped reduce the disability of bed-bound state. This therapy is useful when given within the first 4.5 hours from the start of stoke,” said Dr Prem. However, only 10 per cent of stroke cases come early enough to benefit from this new therapy due to ignorance of the condition.
Stroke or brain attack is a condition of sudden stoppage of blood supply to a part of brain resulting in loss of neurological function represented by that part of brain.
Most patients suffer paralysis of one half of body, (ie one side face, upper limb, and lower limb). Less often, it may present with sudden loss of vision when occipital lobe (centre of vision) is involved or sudden onset of double vision, difficulty in swallowing and giddiness when brain stem is involved. Some suffer sudden difficulty in walking and clumsiness of limbs when cerebellum (coordinating centre of brain) is involved.
Within minutes of stoppage of blood supply to a part of brain, that part stops functioning, manifesting as loss of neurological function. If the blood supply is not restored within a window period of 4.5 hours, permanent damage occurs and function loss is permanent.
Hence it is imperative that cases should come to a hospital with a neurologist and CT or MRI facility at the earliest to benefit from the clot dissolving therapy called “thrombolyis.”
Khaleej Times