Acıbadem Kayseri Hospital Neurology Specialist Dr. Nurhan Yılmaz pointed out that rapid intervention is very important in stroke patients and said, “Facial slippage, speech impairment and arm weakness are the most important symptoms of stroke. The person with these symptoms should be taken to the nearest health institution without waiting.”
Acıbadem Kayseri Hospital Neurology Specialist Dr. Nurhan Yılmaz, who stated that the loss of function caused by vascular diseases of the brain is called a stroke or stroke, said that there are currently about 3 million stroke patients in Turkey and 250 thousand more people are added to these patients every year. Emphasizing that stroke is the most common cause of loss of function and disability in Turkey and the world, Dr. Yılmaz said that stroke is also a fatal disease and ranks third among the diseases that cause the most deaths in Turkey.
“It is more common in men”
Stating that there are two types of stroke, Dr. Yılmaz said, “We see it as an ischemic symptom that occurs 80 percent as a result of blockage or narrowing of a vessel in the brain. 20 percent more rarely, we see cerebral hemorrhages, hemorrhagic strokes, which occur as a result of the rupture or rupture of any of the brain vessels. Although it is more common in men, stroke is more fatal in women. At the same time, we see stroke more in people with blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity, inactive people who smoke and drink alcohol. Stroke is more common especially in people with rhythm disorder, which we call pulmonary fibrillation.”
“Three symptoms herald stroke”
Explaining that since different parts of the brain are responsible for different parts of the body and different functions, the clinical findings seen in patients vary depending on the affected area of the brain, Dr. Yılmaz said that patients mostly present to physicians with speech impairment, muscle weakness, balance coordination disorders, memory loss and visual impairments. Underlining that stroke symptoms should be known by the public, Dr. Yılmaz listed the main 3 symptoms as facial slippage, speech impairment and arm weakness.
“We are racing against time in stroke, even seconds and minutes are important”
Pointing out that stroke is a preventable and treatable disease, Dr. Yılmaz said, “The important thing in the treatable part here is early diagnosis. That's why we need to recognize when a stroke occurs and know very well what to do in case of suspicion. Because we are racing against time. The Turkish Society of Cerebrovascular Diseases and the Turkish Neurology Association have determined the slogan 'Time is brain'. Time is very important for us. Stroke treatment is time-dependent, we should not waste time, we should not wait for the situation to improve at home and if there is any suspicion, we should call 112 immediately. We said that stroke is a treatable disease, but the first hours, which we call the acute period, are very important for us. Seconds and minutes are very important for the person's life and loss of function.”
Stating that the 112 Emergency Response team takes the patient to the stroke center as soon as they receive the patient, Dr. Yılmaz said that these patients are given clot-busting treatment within the first four and a half hours; if there is a large vessel blockage, thrombectomy is performed, in which the clot is pulled out by entering the vessel with angiography.
“Do not neglect doctor checks”
Pointing out the importance of regular doctor checks, Dr. Yılmaz continued his words as follows:
“The sentence 'I think I am healthy, that's why I never go to the doctor' is not a nice and good sentence. We need to eliminate the risks before vascular diseases reach a certain level. For this, we need to go to regular doctor controls. We also need to change our lifestyle and adopt a vascular-friendly lifestyle. We can do this with what we eat, drink, walk, sleep and sport.”
İHA Haber Kodu: 20241023AW314113