Cases of stroke are increasing, says the expert

HYDERABAD:

Medical Superintendent of Liaquat University Hospital, Hyderabad and Jamshoro, Dr Munir Ahmed Sheikh, said that disability and death due to stroke is increasing in the country, however, stroke disease is treatable now and it is also possible to prevent an attack.

Now a stroke unit has been set up in Hyderabad civil hospital under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Manzoor Ahmed Lakhir and Dr. Abdul Hafeez Baghio and other specialist doctors in neuro-medical department where the suffering patients can be saved from disability if the patient be rushed to the hospital immediately.

He expressed these views while speaking to a group of civil society and welfare organizations. He was accompanied by AMS General Dr Mujibur Rehman Kalur, AMS Dr Muhammad Ali Qaimkhani, RMO General Dr Aftab Hussain Ful and other officers on the occasion.

Dr. Munir said it is essential to get the patient to the stroke unit before the stroke occurs. Based on which the experienced neuropathologist can provide immediate treatment using the latest techniques. They give injections. The cost of this injection is Rs 0.1 million, which is provided free of cost to patients in the hospital with the support of the Sindh Government Health Department, which protects the patient from the effects of cerebral hemorrhage.

This stroke unit is a new initiative to make the hospital a state-of-the-art healthcare provider.

He also said that one in four men and one in five women can have a stroke, while almost 5% of the population is forced to live with a stroke. More than a million people live with a disability in one way or another.

He said the symptoms of stroke include loss of sensation (numbness) in any part of the body, loss of ability to speak or inability to understand things, difficulty in eating and drinking, disability in walking, blurred vision, etc.

He said stroke is a disease that can paralyze any part of the body. His attack proves fatal in some cases. Dr. Munir Ahmed Sheikh said that to prevent stroke it is necessary to control blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol and alcohol should be avoided, apart from excessive consumption of poultry meat.

By taking preventive measures, the chances of death from stroke and lifelong disability can be reduced.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 4^u2024.