Woman suffers stroke after quitting medication to follow strange 'cult'

Doctor Pham Van Cuong, Stroke Center, 108 Military Central Hospital, said the patient was brought to the emergency room on June 19 due to a stroke, a history of atrial fibrillation, mechanical mitral valve replacement 5 years ago, and was being treated with oral anticoagulants. The family said that for the past 3 months she followed a group of people calling themselves a "cult" to practice and stopped taking medication for about a week because she believed that "practicing according to this method, there is no need to use any medication".

The patient was admitted to the hospital within 2 hours of showing signs of stroke, with lethargy, complete paralysis of the right side of the body, and speech disorder. A CT scan revealed that she had a left middle cerebral artery occlusion, and was diagnosed with acute cerebral infarction due to a thrombosis from the heart within the first 3 hours.

The doctor gave the patient intravenous thrombolytic therapy (rTPA), then continued with "bridging" treatment, revascularization intervention using mechanical devices. After the intervention, the patient recovered well, gradually regained consciousness, was able to speak, understand words, and had good mobility in the right half of his body.

"The patient had a stroke due to stopping anticoagulants, leading to a stuck heart valve and a blood clot forming from the heart moving to the brain," said Dr. Cuong.

The patient was fortunate to be taken early to a medical facility with full emergency equipment and stroke treatment. If not treated early, the patient could have died or suffered severe disability.

Doctors advise people not to stop taking medication on their own to follow unscientific exercise and treatment methods. "Exercise is necessary but requires advice from experts and medical staff," said Dr. Cuong.