Every year, 30,000 Swedes suffer a stroke according to The Stroke Association. It is the 3rd most common cause of acute death and is considered the most costly disease in the Western world.
Every fourth adult Swede, or 1.8 million people, has high blood pressure, but only half know about it. About 700,000 Swedes are treated with medication for high blood pressure and 300,000 are considered high-risk patients.
When it comes to a national effort against stroke, there are several factors that can be important to consider. Here are some aspects that can contribute to an effective effort:
Education and Awareness: An important part of a national effort against stroke is to increase the public's awareness of symptoms, risk factors and preventive measures. This can mean carrying out information campaigns, offering educational programs and spreading knowledge about stroke to the public.
Early detection and prompt treatment: Detecting stroke early and quickly starting treatment can be crucial in reducing damage and improving the prognosis for the patient. A national effort should focus on increasing access to healthcare, promoting the training of healthcare professionals and ensuring that there are effective systems for rapid diagnosis and treatment.
Prevention: Reducing risk factors for stroke is an important part of a national effort. This may include promoting a healthy lifestyle by encouraging regular physical activity, a balanced diet, smoking cessation and managing other risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol.
Rehabilitation and support: After a stroke, rehabilitation and support are crucial to help the patient recover and live as independent a life as possible. A national effort should include investments in rehabilitation programs, access to specialized care and support for both patients and their relatives.
Research and innovation: Investing in research and innovation in the field of stroke can help improve diagnostic methods, treatment options and long-term care. By promoting research and s
Mapping high-risk people to prevent stroke
Mapping high-risk people is a method of preventing stroke. A high risk patient has high blood pressure and additional complications such as diabetes, signs of coronary artery disease such as atherosclerosis, a previous bypass surgery or they have had a heart attack or stroke….ok we have heard about dieting and not smoking but is there nothing more innovative to do?
I read in the newspaper nyteknik about a new blood test that checks if you are at risk of suffering a stroke. By measuring the levels of the substance proinsulin in the blood, the researchers have established that it is possible to find patients who have a pre-diabetes stage. And who also have an increased risk of suffering a stroke. People with atrial fibrillation are at high risk of suffering a stroke and in various counties there are projects to detect hidden cases of atrial fibrillation. It is also possible to measure blood pressure, blood sugar levels and cholesterol levels to find high-risk people.
Rapid diagnosis is of the utmost importance – what is the cause of the stroke?
Rapid diagnosis of the disease and the cause of the stroke is of the utmost importance. A stroke can be caused by a blood clot (85%) or a cerebral hemorrhage (15%). The first 3 hours after a stoke are critical so that the brain does not take too much damage. After 4.5 hours, they say that Thrombolytic therapy should not be used because the risk of bleeding in the injured area is too high. Source
Thrombolytic therapy (Thrombolytic therapy) can be used for blood clots and a blood clot is treated with clot-dissolving agents while a bleed can be made worse by it.
Use new technology and new devices by high-risk people
I may find it strange that high-risk patients are not offered equipment at home for preventive purposes. The faster a patient can receive treatment, the better. The equipment could consist of medicines but also various external cooling equipment to cool the head and body and alleviate a possible blood clot.
Pilot studies indicate that reducing the body temperature to 35 degrees creates a kind of hibernation mode for the brain that protects the brain from damage, writes the Independent. The technique could involve injecting cold saline into the veins and putting ice packs on the body. It is a technique already used for patients with traumatic head injuries.
Research has begun on the cooling of stroke patients and a large EU project around this has been started.
If you can get help to alleviate the effects of the stroke until you come in for medical treatment, it should be carried out systematically.
There are also other instruments that could be used and which are said to be able to prevent 3650 strokes a year. Read more
Studies in Sweden regarding ACE inhibitors
Thomas Kahan, senior physician at the heart clinic at Danderyd Hospital has studied ACE inhibitors and calcium flow inhibitors instead of ACE inhibitors and diuretics. an American-Scandinavian study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has proven positive.
ACE inhibitors as basic medicine. Then half the group was randomly assigned to receive either amlodipine or hydrochlorothiazide in addition. The design of the study corresponds well with Swedish conditions and a third of the patients were treated in Scandinavia.
After three years, the study was stopped prematurely and the new combination clearly reduced the risk of suffering serious cardiac events compared to the old one. The difference can be described as that over three years ten out of a hundred patients were affected with the new treatment compared to twelve out of a hundred with the old one. It may not sound so impressive, but converted to the whole of Sweden it makes a difference.
– There are very many patients who are treated, so there are many cardiac events that can be avoided in Sweden, says Thomas Kahan to DN.
Find positive examples in nature
Who knows it might be possible to be inspired by nature? I saw a nature program where they looked at Vampires and bats who apparently live exceptionally long. The vampire has a substance called Draculin and it is possible that it can be used later as stroke medicine. Draculin is a peptide extracted from the saliva of vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus). It is a substance that has been shown to have anticoagulant properties, which means it can prevent the blood from clotting or clotting. Draculin works by inhibiting certain blood clotting factors, which helps maintain a continuous blood flow during feeding in the bats.
Another program studied giraffes and how they could manage to have such high blood pressure and there the researchers concluded that adrenaline played a big role which in turn could help people who suffer strokes.
I want to make it clear that I myself have no medical background, but since my father died of the complications after a stroke, I have read quite a bit on the subject. So this is a layman's perspective on the stroke problem and you are welcome to comment if there is anything wrong, suggestions for changes or other opinions.
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