Everything You Need to Know about Stroke Epidemiology

Stroke is characterized by the blockage of the blood supply to the brain that happens due to the rupture of the blood vessel in the brain. Because of this, blood and oxygen supply to the brain tissues is not reached which makes it an emergency situation and requires immediate medical treatment. 

According to WHO, more than 15million people suffer due to stroke attack each year and half of them die and another half million people are permanently disabled. High blood pressure is one of the vital reasons for stroke. The stroke attack is increasing worldwide due to the aging population. 

Cardiovascular disease refers to the more than one disease of the circulatory system that includes the heart and blood vessels. It includes the blood vessels that distress the lungs, brain, kidney and other parts of the body. There are six types of cardiovascular diseases such as Ischemic heart disease, a Cerebrovascular disease that leads to stroke, Peripheral vascular disease, Heart failure, Congenital heart disease, and Rheumatic heart disease.  

Cardiovascular or heart disease statistics show that it is one of the leading health ailments and also leading cause of death worldwide. It is evident that mortality rates are high due to heart diseases other than cancer and respiratory illness.  

Heart stroke or Ischemic stroke happens when the artery to the brain is blocked. The arteries bring the fresh blood from the heart and lungs that contains oxygen and nutrients. Also, it removes carbon dioxide and other cellular wastes. During the stroke attack, the arteries get blocked and stop working that cause the brain cells to die. Therefore immediate medical attention is needed. 

The cause for heart stroke is due to various diseases that lead to narrowing of the arteries mainly to neck and head. This is due to atherosclerosis and cholesterol deposition (plaque). Here the blood cells get collected and form a clot. The clots when block the artery at the place of formation is called as thrombosis, or when it gets dislodges near the brain is called an embolism. Another reason for stroke is a blood clot in the heart due to an irregular heartbeat, heart attack or dysfunctioning of the valves.  

Heart stroke symptoms include, 

•   1. Face drooping or numbness on one side of the face. 
•   2. Numb feeling of one side of the arm or unable to lift it. 
•   3. Speaking difficulty, unable to speak clearly. 
•   4. Incapable of movement on one side of the body 
•   5. Trouble in vision 
•   6. Difficulty in walking or feeling dizziness 
•   7. Confusion 
•   8. Headache for no reason 
•   9. Lack of control over the bowel movements 
• 10. Changes in the taste bud 
• 11. Difficulty in hearing 
• 12. Difficulty in swallowing food or water 
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Treatment for stroke 

Timely management of stroke is important to save the situation. Medical treatment of stroke in India is done at several reputed hospitals. Best neurologist and neurosurgeons are available and they use the most advanced techniques such as robotic treatment is given to save the life of the patients. Ischemic or heart stroke is treated to restore the blood flow in the brain. Medications are given in the first four and half hours of the stroke attack to unclog the blood vessels. The purpose of the treatment is to stop the bleeding and to control the blood pressure in the brain. After the healing, the damaged blood vessels are repaired. 

Stroke recovery treatment involves rehabilitation therapy that involves different aspects such as;  

• Speech therapy – it involves overcoming speech and communication difficulties. 
• Physical therapy – it helps a person to relearn things and coordination activities 
• Occupational therapy – it helps a person to carry out daily routine activities 
• Support groups – it helps to overcome mental health problems and depression.  
• Family and friends support – the family members and friends should provide practical support and comfort so that recovery after stroke becomes an easy process. 
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Prevention  

Stroke can be prevented by finding out the root cause and altering lifestyle habits such as consuming healthy diet, maintaining the ideal weight, regularly exercising, quitting smoking and tobacco, and avoiding alcohol. 

Global Pattern of Diseases

One of the major challenges faced at the regional and global level is the emergence and spread of diseases. Therefore, medical geography assumes a new significance as it focuses on the geographical distribution of diseases worldwide. This also has a tremendous impact on the socio-economic environment. The effects of environmental pollution have been really devastating and alarming-more than 4.2 million deaths occur globally due to air-pollution out of which 1.1 million are attributed to India alone!

It is important to understand the global pattern of diseases to analyze the risk factors, mortality and disability rates. This helps in assessing the effectiveness of the public health systems. The statistical data results aid concerned the health authorities to determine the focus of their actions and adopt relevant measures accordingly. Such steps are particularly crucial for the developing and the under-developed countries for improving population health and reducing preventable deaths. 

 Types of Diseases 

Based on the economic status of countries, the inferences on disease patterns are as follows-  

Low-Income Countries 

• 1. More than fifty per cent of deaths happen due to Communicable Diseases (CD), maternal conditions including complications arising due to childbirth and pregnancy and malnutrition. 
• 2. Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) caused about forty per cent deaths in these nations. 
• 3. Injuries were also a major cause. Specifically, road accidents had the highest mortality rates and were among the leading reasons for fatality.
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Middle and High Income Countries 

• 1. CD caused less than ten per cent of population deaths. 
• 2. NCD caused nearly eighty per cent deaths here. 

Lower respiratory infections are also one of the major reasons of mortality across both the country-groups. 

Common Global Diseases 

It is surprising that nearly seventy per cent of deaths in global population are due to slow progressing diseases. Most of these are partially preventable. The risk factors may be attributed to the patient’s location of stay, accessibility to preventive healthcare and quality of clinical services available. 

 The most common diseases in the global scenario are entailed below- 

(Source: World Health Organization (WHO)) 

• Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) (also called Ischemic Heart Disease)-CAD happens to be the most prevalent and dangerous disease in the world. It may be attributed to modified lifestyles, longer life-spans and changes in socio-economic factors. 
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• Stroke-Stroke is known to result in mortality and long-term disabilities which may be reduced if patients receive treatment in less than three hours after the attack. Family history, high blood pressure and unhealthy habits cause a stroke. It is preventable by lifestyle changes, medications and preventive healthcare measures. 
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• Lower Respiratory Infections –These may be caused by flu, pneumonia, bronchitis and influenza. Left untreated, it causes breathing difficulties leading to death. It is largely preventable by immunization. 
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• Chronic Pulmonary Obstructive Disease (COPD)-COPD is a long-lasting, progressive disease of the lungs. Since it has no permanent cure, early medical intervention is recommended for slowing down its progression. 
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• Respiratory Cancers-These include cancers in the lungs, trachea and bronchus. It is primarily caused by smoking, tobacco usage or environmental pollutants which can be avoided.  
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• Diabetes Mellitus-This disease group and its related complications result in a substantial number of deaths. The symptoms can be controlled by regular exercise and balanced nutrition. 
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• Dementia-Alzheimer and other forms of dementia mostly attack the senior population. Risks can be reduced by healthy diets and brain exercises. 

 1. Besides the above, other major diseases include 

• 2. Dehydration due to Diarrhoea 
• 3. Tuberculosis 
• 4. Cirrhosis (Liver Disease) 

  

Therefore, Medical Tourism (MT) is gaining more prominence worldwide due to the exorbitant rise in NCD and preventable diseases. Medical treatment in India offers quality care with customized services at affordable rates. Cardiovascular disease treatment, particularly, happens to be highly sought in Indian MT thanks to very high success rates and low costs.