Did you know that cerebrovascular disease, also known as stroke, is a major cause of death and disability among Thais? According to Thailand's statistics in 2014, there were 3 to 4 stroke patients per 1,000 Thais. Furthermore, 2 to 3 people die from this disease every hour. However, if patients receive prompt and effective treatment from a medical team and related medical personnel, the chances of suffering a stroke or paralysis can be reduced, helping to decrease the mortality and disability rates from this severe disease.

Two Major Causes of Stroke

A stroke is a disease that occurs due to abnormalities in the blood vessels that supply the brain. There are two main causes:

·         Lack of blood flow to the brain (Acute Ischemic Stroke), occurring due to three reasons:

·         The blood vessels that supply the brain deteriorate, harden, and gradually narrow until they eventually become blocked.

·         A blood clot or fatty plaque dislodges from the heart or a large artery in the neck and travels to block a blood vessel in the brain.

·         Blood pressure drops too low to adequately supply the brain.

·         Bleeding in the brain or Brain Hemorrhage (Acute Hemorrhagic Stroke), dividing into two types:

·         Intracerebral Hemorrhage occurs when a blood vessel in the brain ruptures, which may start from long-term high blood pressure.

·         Subarachnoid Hemorrhage occurs when a bulging blood vessel at the base of the brain ruptures, causing small blood vessels in the brain to change, bulge, and eventually burst.

Nine Warning Signs of "Sudden Paralysis" from a Stroke

·         Weakness in one side of the body, inability to lift the arm, hand weakness, dropping objects, inability to walk, unsteady walking, difficulty lifting the leg, and inability to flex the foot.

·         Facial drooping, mouth drooping, one eye not closing properly, and water leaking from the corner of the mouth when drinking.

·         Slurred speech, sounding drunk, difficulty finding words, using incorrect words, or in some cases, inability to speak at all.

·         Difficulty understanding spoken language (Thai), answering questions inappropriately.

·         Numbness in the face, numbness on one side of the body, feeling like being injected with anesthetic.

·         Seeing double, only seeing one side of the visual field, bumping into objects.

·         Difficulty swallowing, choking on water or even one's own saliva.

·         Sudden severe headache like never before in life, often accompanied by vomiting.

·         Dizziness and vertigo, lasting longer than 5 minutes, unrelated to changing positions, often accompanied by unsteady walking.

If you notice someone close or an elder person in the house showing the symptoms of stroke as mentioned, it is crucial to promptly take the patient to a hospital with a neurologist specializing in stroke. Stroke patients require treatment with clot-dissolving drugs or may need surgery within 4.5 hours of the onset of symptoms. The longer the condition goes untreated, the higher the risk of paralysis!