Obstructions and Hemorrhages
At the same event, dr. M. Kurniawan, Sp.S(K), M.Sc., nerve specialist from the University Indonesia Faculty of Medicine-Cipto Mangunkusumo National Hospital’s Department of Neurology, explains that a stroke is an episode of nervous system dysfunction caused by obstructed blood flow to the brain, spine, or retina. It is marked with the clinical symptom of neurological deficit, which if untreated may cause permanent disability or death. If the obstruction occurs in the frontal lobe of the brain, which regulates the memory, intelligence, and decision-making functions, the patient may suffer from dementia. If it occurs in the center of the brain, it will cause half of the body to become paralyzed; and if it happens in the retina, it will damage the sight, or even rob it altogether.
“Quantitative studies show that obstructions and breakages in the cerebral blood vessels will cause brain tissue ischemia within 5 minutes. Time is literally brain: each 1 second in a stroke damages 32,000 neuron cells, which in turn damages the brain cells, synapses, and myelin, causing an 8.7 hour’s aging of the core. Each 1 minute of stroke causes you 3.1 weeks of cerebral aging, each 1 hour, of 3.6 years. A complete stroke will cause your nerves to age by 36 years! In other words, if you suffer from a complete stroke at the age of 50, your neurological age will be 86. We can prevent disability and death by immediately getting the patient to a doctor, or to a hospital within less than 2 hours. In cases of obstruction, recanalization and revascularization must be completed before 4.5 hours pass by,” dr. Kurniawan said.
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Even though Indonesia lacks precise data, the estimated prevalence of stroke because of blood vessel obstruction is 70%, with the remaining 30% caused by hemorrhages. “In any case, both of these are dangerous. There is a rising trend of younger people suffering from stroke: I myself have treated a 30-year-old person for it. I have even treated an 8-year-old child for it, because the poor kid has a genetic abnormality in their cerebral blood vessels. It bears repeating that causes and risk factors include lack of physical activity, high consumption of salt and sugar, and stress. Stroke can be prevented by ingesting sufficient and balanced nutrition, routinely performing physical exercise, maintaining sufficient rest, and stop smoking early. Better yet, don’t even start! Reduce your salt consumption to a maximum of 2,400 mg or 1 teaspoon a day,” dr. Kurniawan said. (est)