Nghe An: 33 stroke patients in 1 day

(Baonghean.vn) – During the cold weather days, hundreds of people in Nghe An have suffered strokes and heart attacks.

On December 25, up to 33 people suffered from strokes and were treated at Nghe An General Hospital. Photo: Thanh Son

During the cold weather, the number of stroke patients admitted to the Provincial General Hospital for treatment increased dramatically. At the Neurology Department, at this time, the number of stroke patients was over 80 people, accounting for more than half of the number of patients treated here. Most of the patients were elderly.

Relatives of Ms. Vo Thi Thanh (70 years old, Nghi Xuan commune, Nghi Loc district) - a patient being treated at the Neurology department said: She was sitting at home when she suddenly had a severe headache, vomited, and lost consciousness. She was taken to the emergency room and found out she had high blood pressure, a stroke, and a subarachnoid hemorrhage.

In particular, there are also some middle-aged people like Mr. Pham Van Duc (47 years old, in Nghi Phong commune, Nghi Loc district). Similar to Ms. Thanh, Mr. Duc was also at home when he suffered a cerebral infarction, suddenly became confused, lost consciousness and had hemiplegia.

X-ray of a patient with a stroke and brain hemorrhage being treated at the Provincial General Hospital. Photo: Thanh Son

According to doctors, many people who come to the emergency room in time have a good chance of recovery, but those who come after 4.5 hours will have more severe consequences. These include neurological deficits such as hemiplegia, inability to speak, and inability to swallow.

The peak of the disease in the year occurred on December 25, the Neurology Department, Friendship General Hospital received 33 patients with cerebral stroke. Many people were in very critical condition, with a high risk of death.

Like the Neurology Department, during this cold spell, the Cardiology Department of the Friendship General Hospital also received many patients with coronary artery disease, acute myocardial infarction, heart stroke, congestive heart failure... Some nights, the department had to perform 5-6 emergency interventions. Cold weather is the main cause of these diseases.

Avoid sudden cold to prevent disease

Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Hoa - Head of the Department of Neurology, Provincial General Hospital of Friendship explains the mechanism of cold causing increased cardiovascular disease and stroke: Cold weather leads to increased blood pressure due to increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system and the renin-angiotensin system. In addition, cold affects hemodynamics by reducing skin perfusion, increasing urine excretion, increasing dehydration, increasing blood concentration...

Cold also affects the arteries and heart, increasing risk factors for cardiovascular disease, increasing plaque instability, plaque rupture... All of this leads to increased blood pressure, myocardial infarction, stroke (cerebral infarction, cerebral hemorrhage).

Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Hoa - Head of the Department of Neurology recommends: When there are unusual symptoms, people need to go to medical facilities immediately for examination to detect the disease early. Photo: Thanh Son

According to Dr. Hoa: Stroke and cardiovascular disease are two of the top three diseases that can easily lead to death. In the cold season, to avoid stroke and cardiovascular disease, people with risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart valve disease, arrhythmia... need to take medication regularly according to the doctor's prescription and have regular check-ups to control the disease.

When patients have unusual symptoms, they should immediately go to medical facilities with Cardiology and Neurology departments for examination to detect early.

Master Pham Hong Phuong - Head of Cardiology Department recommends: During the cold season, people need to control their lifestyle well to prevent cardiovascular disease and stroke. Specifically, avoid using stimulants such as alcohol and tobacco. Besides, keep the body warm.

For those who have the habit of waking up early and exercising (especially the elderly), it is necessary to avoid sudden cold. For example, when wanting to exercise early, you need to open the door to let the cold air in to adapt before going out. Or when bathing, you should avoid bathing in cold water, you must get used to the warmth of the water first and bathe each body part.

Reality at Nghe An General Hospital shows that: There are many patients who have had strokes, heart attacks while exercising in the morning, evening, bathing... due to sudden cold./.

Thanh Son