Health Tip for Travelers in Thailand
Apirat Cheeppensuk, MD
Attending Neurosurgeon
Bangkok Hospital Samui
Stroke is considered to be one of the international
leading causes of death. There are 2 main types of stroke, ischemic and
hemorrhagic.
People at risk of having a stroke are those who
have hypertension, diabetes mellitus, high cholesterol, smoke or have
heart conditions. Atherosclerosis, thickening of blood vessels, is one
of many reasons that your blood vessels can tear or collapse to either
cause a bleed or an infarct or emboli.
Warning signs of stroke that you need to be aware
of are as follows:
sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arms or
legs, especially on one side of the body
sudden trouble speaking or understanding
sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
sudden trouble walking, sudden loss of balance or
coordination
sudden, severe headache or change of consciousness
If any of these symptoms happen to you or those
close to you DO NOT HESITATE TO CALL THE HOSPITAL, REQUEST AN AMBULANCE
OR IMMEDIATELY GO TO THE HOSPITAL. These symptoms if they are a stroke
beginning you need IMMEDIATE TREATMENT.
The newest innovation of stroke treatment is
“STROKE FAST TRACK”, which involves injecting a medication that will
dissolve blood clots if given within 3 hours of the stroke. Stroke
victims must undergo intensive evaluation via blood tests and Brain CT
scans. The evaluation helps determine the intensity and cause of the
stroke, which in hand affect the course of treatment.
Stroke treatment involves removing the hemorrhages
or dissolving the clots. Collaboration between Internists and
Neurosurgeons ensures a holistic treatment plan for stroke patients.
After recovering from the stroke, lifestyle modification to lower the
risks in having another stroke is started.
Lifestyle modification or risk reduction can start
before you have a stroke, this means healthy eating and exercising.
WHEN TREATING STROKE, NO FACTOR IS MORE CRITICAL
THAN TIME.
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