Vietnam is among the countries with the highest rate of stroke in the world.

According to the World Stroke Organization, every 2 seconds a new stroke occurs globally. In Vietnam alone, approximately 200,000 stroke cases are recorded each year, of which up to 50% lead to death or severe disability.

Delegates attending the workshop.

On April 20, in Ho Chi Minh City, Tien Phong Newspaper in collaboration with Hong Bang International University organized the Workshop "Stroke Prevention: From Theory to Practical Action", gathering leading experts in the field of stroke and cardiovascular disease nationwide. Attending and chairing the workshop was Dr. Nguyen Tri Thuc - Deputy Minister of Health .

Speaking at the opening of the workshop, journalist Le Minh Toan, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Tien Phong Newspaper, warned that the worrying thing is that this disease is showing a clear trend of getting younger, affecting young workers, young people, and even students. Meanwhile, public awareness of stroke prevention is still limited. Many people do not know how to recognize early signs, do not pay attention to regular health check-ups or maintain a healthy lifestyle.

At the workshop, Dr. Nguyen Tri Thuc, Deputy Minister of Health, called on the community not to let the fear of stroke overwhelm their minds. The important thing is to understand correctly and know clearly the risk factors such as smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, dyslipidemia or a sedentary lifestyle, thereby proactively preventing instead of vague fear.

For effective prevention and control, the Deputy Minister of Health noted that people need to know and access reputable medical facilities for stroke prevention and screening. Along with that, thorough clinical examinations are needed and prioritized to avoid unnecessary paraclinical abuse, helping patients save costs while still achieving effectiveness in prevention and treatment.

Sharing about the cost burden, Dr. Nguyen Trong Khoa - Deputy Director of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management (Ministry of Health) said that the global treatment cost for stroke is estimated at more than 890 billion USD, accounting for 0.66% of the total global GDP.

The continuing increase in the burden of stroke is a major challenge for health systems worldwide, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

On the world stroke map, Vietnam is among the countries with the darkest red color - the group of countries with the highest stroke rates. The new incidence rate and the incidence rate of stroke are 161 and 415 per 100,000 people, respectively.

The leading causes of disease burden worldwide by 2050 are predicted to be ischemic heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and COPD. Stroke is therefore in second place.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Huy Thang presented a paper at the conference.

In his presentation, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Huy Thang, Vice President of the Vietnam Stroke Association, President of the Ho Chi Minh City Stroke Association, Head of the Department of Cerebrovascular Diseases (People's Hospital 115) emphasized that stroke is not a disease that "god calls, everyone responds". About 90% of stroke patients have risk factors. Therefore, the best thing is to control risk factors, not take a pill that can prevent and treat for life.

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Tri Thuc spoke.

At the workshop, experts, scientists, doctors, and leaders of the health sector shared about stroke prevention strategies. Accordingly, we must first start with a strategy for the entire population such as promoting a healthy lifestyle, educating and raising awareness about stroke and risk factors...

Second is individualized strategies such as simple blood pressure screening, diagnosis, identifying people at any risk of stroke, cardiovascular disease.

When suffering a stroke, continuous care is required from the time signs and symptoms appear. The stages to go through include: Recognition - assessment, diagnosis - intervention, rehabilitation, reintegration and prevention, education.

The "golden hour" is a vital factor for stroke patients: The "golden hour" is a vital factor that plays an important role. Every minute that passes during a stroke, the patient can lose 2 million nerve cells. During the first 3-6 hours from the onset of stroke symptoms, if the patient is taken to a specialized medical facility and promptly treated with thrombolytic drugs (IV rTPA) or endovascular intervention to remove the clot, the possibility of complete recovery can be up to 90%.

Citing a clinical case, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Huy Thang said that People's Hospital 115 once received a clinical case of a 14-year-old girl with no medical history who suddenly had weakness and paralysis on the left side of her body, and her home was 20km from Ho Chi Minh City. Initially, the patient was taken to the District Medical Center, 2km from her home. The medical unit suspected a stroke, so she was transferred to the provincial hospital, an additional 5km of travel. After that, the provincial hospital performed a CT scan, diagnosed a stroke, and then transferred her to People's Hospital 115, a distance of 27km.

“When I received her, it had been 24 hours. The patient was brain dead so we couldn’t do anything more. If she had been transferred to us from the beginning, it might have been different. In Vietnam, 80% of patients when brought to a specialized medical facility for stroke treatment have exceeded the golden time (4.5 hours),” Mr. Thang emphasized.

Hanoi Moi Newspaper

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/viet-nam-nam-trong-nhom-nuoc-co-ty-le-nguoi-bi-dot-quy-cao-nhat-the-gioi-post400545.html