Paralysis from a stroke iseven more common here
Ref: "Time to up the ante in the battle against stroke", Editorial, October 31.
It is immensely civic of you to highlight this slow “killer”.
I do not fear the stroke that “silently kills” one Thai every 10 minutes, but the one that paralyses one Thai every four minutes (highlighted in The Nation on October 25 – “Only 12 per cent of stroke victims getting free, speedy treatment”).
My fear of paralysis is the condition of half-dead, bedridden, helpless and a burden on your close ones. Though a stroke can strike anytime with no warning, our healthcare provides a ready-made cure (Bt80,000 drug) if a patient can get medical attention soon – best within 40 minutes. Call 1669 for an ambulance!
In fact, there are some warning signs for quick medical attention – twisted mouth/face, slurred speech and unsteady pace. These signs are not obvious to a victim but noticeable by others – I was saved from a stroke by my son.
The usual causes are smoking, obesity, high blood pressure and a sedentary lifestyle, but now there’s an added risk – stress. It was revealed in an article of your sister Thai newspaper on October 26 that one young army officer with a healthy lifestyle was struck by a stroke and it took him two hellish years to recover. He attributed it to a lack of leisure time.
In July of last year, the American Heart Association highlighted an important cause that had been going ignored.
“Higher levels of stress, hostility and depressive symptoms are associated with significantly increased risk of stroke in middle-age and older adults...(but not observed as associated with anger)”. The study took 11 years covering 6,700 adults of all races (Chinese 12 per cent) in six US cities.
So, why worry, be happy!
Songdej Praditsmanont
