Who is easy prey for stroke?

The Stroke Unit, Thong Nhat Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, intervened urgently and promptly saved the life of a 52-year-old man who had a stroke at Tan Son Nhat airport on December 8.

Doctor Nguyen Thi Phuong Nga, Head of the Department of Neurology, said that while waiting to board the plane, this person suddenly collapsed, could not speak, and did not recognize familiar people.

Test results and diagnostic imaging determined that the man had an acute cerebral infarction due to occlusion of a large cerebral artery.

Currently, the brain area behind the blockage has regained blood flow.

The doctor examined the man after a stroke while waiting to board the plane at Tan Son Nhat airport. He had a history of diabetes and hypertension.

Dr. Nga shared that a stroke, or cerebrovascular accident, is a condition in which part of the brain is suddenly damaged, due to a blood vessel supplying the brain being blocked (infarction) or ruptured (hemorrhage).

Cerebral infarction is more common, accounting for about 70-80%.

`The man above has a history of hypertension and type 2 diabetes. We suspect these are the two main culprits causing the patient’s stroke,` said Dr. Nga.

According to the doctor, there are many causes of stroke, but people with dyslipidemia (fatty blood), cardiovascular diseases, and smokers are in the highest risk group.

Patients with atrial fibrillation, heart valves, arrhythmias, congenital heart defects… the heart does not function well, blood pumping is not smooth.

Hypertension is similarly harmful, but more serious.

For people who have not had a stroke but have high risk factors as mentioned above, Dr. Nga affirmed that preventive treatment is the most effective.

People who have had a stroke must find the cause to treat it completely.

Doctor Nga advises older people and people at risk of stroke to eat less salt, less fat, and less sugar like heart patients.

`Young people are also ‘victims’ of stroke. Except for cerebrovascular malformation, which is the leading cause, urban lifestyle with fast food, alcohol, tobacco, lack of exercise… is