Two silent killer diseases that can suddenly flare up on cold days

According to Master Luu Lien Huong, Deputy Director of the Research Center, Vietnam Institute of Applied Medicine, sudden cold weather can lead to a number of dangerous diseases that people need to be aware of.

Stroke

Stroke is affected by many factors, including sudden changes in weather and cold weather that can trigger this condition.

According to biological mechanisms, under the influence of cold weather, blood vessels lose elasticity, the lumen of the blood vessels narrows, causing blood flow to the brain to decrease by 1/5 compared to normal. On the other hand, blood vessels easily contract, increasing blood pressure and increasing pressure in the lumen of the blood vessels. When it is cold, people often exercise less, leading to weight gain. This is also a factor that can cause blood pressure to increase and increase the risk of stroke.

People with atherosclerosis or thrombosis complications are susceptible to blood vessel blockage, and can even rupture leading to cerebral hemorrhage, stroke with the risk of death and serious complications.

To prevent disease, experts recommend:

- Pay attention to keeping your body warm, sleeping in a room with no wind; avoid sudden cold when getting out of warm blankets and going outside; pay attention to "black" times when strokes are likely to occur such as dawn and midnight.

- People with chronic diseases need to control risk factors such as blood pressure, blood fat, blood sugar, stress, maintain a reasonable weight, and exercise regularly.

- TAvoid abusing alcohol because drinking too much in cold weather causes alcohol to stay in the blood for a long time due to the ability to excrete through sweat, causing high blood pressure, which can easily lead to stroke.

- People with a history of cardiovascular disease or high blood pressure need to take medication on time and regularly as prescribed by their doctor. Do not stop taking medication or take additional medication on your own.

To help loved ones be saved in time and have a chance to recover from a stroke, we need to quickly take the patient to the hospital within the first 3 hours (called the golden hour) from the appearance of symptoms such as sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arms or legs, sudden inability to speak or slurred speech, loss of vision (especially symptoms appearing in only one eye), severe headache, dizziness, loss of balance, and inability to move as desired.

Bones and joints

Winter is the time when bone and joint diseases are easy to develop. The reason is that cold air penetrates the body through the skin pores, causing blood vessels in the skin to contract, blood to the joints is limited or very little, so there is a lack of blood to nourish the joints, the synovial membranes and cartilage are stimulated, causing pain.

The disease causes pain, especially in the elderly, people with osteoporosis, and people who are overweight or obese. If left untreated, it will lead to joint degeneration, especially in joints that bear a lot of weight such as the lumbar spine, knee, and ankle joints. Joint pain can also increase the risk of falls, injuries, and fractures.

Regardless of whether you have a pre-existing joint disease or not, during the cold season, you need to keep your body warm, paying special attention to your joints. If you have arthritis or osteoarthritis, you need to keep your body and joints warm (knee joints, ankle joints, wrists, hands, etc.).

When there are signs of joint pain and numbness, especially when waking up in a certain position, people need to warm up the area around that position by scraping, applying oil, and massaging oil. That helps the blood vessels dilate, transporting blood easily to nourish the joints./.