[Click! Health] Today is Stroke Day... "Be Careful If You Have Underlying Conditions"

On the 29th, World Stroke Day, advice has been given on the necessity of stroke prevention and regular check-ups. Patients with underlying conditions such as hypertension or heart disease belong to a high-risk group and should be especially cautious.

According to Gangdong Kyung Hee University Hospital, stroke, which ranks as the fourth leading cause of death in South Korea, is continuously increasing as the country enters a super-aged society. Although advances in modern medicine have steadily improved the survival rate of stroke patients, if timely treatment is not received, it can cause permanent disabilities and even threaten life, making prevention and management crucial. On the occasion of World Stroke Day, we spoke in detail with Professor Choi Hye-yeon of the Neurology Department at Gangdong Kyung Hee University Hospital about the symptoms, prevention, and treatment methods of stroke.

Stroke refers to cerebral hemorrhage, where a brain blood vessel bursts, and cerebral infarction, where a brain blood vessel is blocked. According to the National Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service’s statistics on diseases of public interest, 620,000 patients visited hospitals for stroke last year. Among them, 100,390 cases were cerebral hemorrhage, and 508,415 cases were cerebral infarction. In the past, cerebral hemorrhage patients were more numerous, but with Westernized eating habits and increases in hypertension, diabetes, and obesity, the number of cerebral infarction patients has now surpassed that of cerebral hemorrhage.

Stroke is a disease in which brain blood vessels rupture or become blocked due to various causes, causing brain damage, and if not treated promptly, it can lead to death. Even with treatment, many patients suffer permanent aftereffects such as physical paralysis, speech disorders, swallowing difficulties, articulation problems, visual impairments, and dementia. Therefore, prevention is paramount, and if there are risk factors, thorough management is necessary.

Patients with underlying conditions such as hypertension, heart disease, or diabetes are classified as high-risk groups. Professor Choi explained, "60-70% of stroke patients suffer from hypertension, and the incidence of stroke in hypertensive patients is 4 to 5 times higher than that of the general population. About 20% of strokes are caused by heart disease, where blood clots formed due to cardiac dysfunctions such as arrhythmia travel through blood vessels and block cerebral vessels, causing cerebral infarction." The risk of stroke in diabetic patients is about twice that of normal individuals.

The basic condition for stroke prevention is maintaining vascular health. It is necessary to avoid drinking and smoking, prevent overwork, and maintain a healthy life through appropriate exercise and regular routines. To prevent chronic diseases, efforts should be made to reduce intake of sugar, salt, and animal fats, and to maintain a regular lifestyle. If you have stroke risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, or obesity, treatment and management are also important. If you belong to a high-risk group, it is advisable to undergo a brain check-up in advance.

If a stroke occurs despite prevention or screening, you must immediately visit a hospital for prompt treatment. Stroke is a disease where the golden time is critical. Professor Choi emphasized, "If you experience symptoms such as slurred speech, numbness in one side of the limbs, weakness in one side of the limbs, severe headache, or dizziness, you should immediately visit a hospital. Sometimes these abnormal symptoms may temporarily appear and then recover, but there is a high risk of recurrence, so you must visit a hospital for a thorough examination."