KUALA LUMPUR: It is estimated that one in four Malaysians will suffer a stroke by 2040 if no preventive action is taken, according to the Global Burden of Disease Stroke Statistics Worldwide Survey in 2016.
Even more alarming is that stroke patients are getting younger, and one in four strokes now occur in people under the age of 50.
Sunway City's Assistant Medical Director and Consultant Emergency Physician at Sunway Medical Centre, Dr Lee Tuan Cheong, in a statement, shared that stroke was the third leading cause of death in Malaysia.
"According to the National Stroke Registry, there were 47,911 stroke incidences in 2019, which means that about 130 people suffer from stroke every day in Malaysia," he added.
He said the country also records almost 32 deaths per day due to stroke, and seven out of 10 stroke patients will need to depend on others to survive.
According to Dr Lee, the most common risk factors of stroke include high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, smoking, obesity, physical inactivity, heart disease, irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation) and family history of stroke.
He said that the most significant contributor is high blood pressure, as it can damage the walls of arteries, making them more likely to narrow or form a clot, which leads to a stroke.
When a stroke occurs, the signs and symptoms may vary depending on the part of the brain that is affected. It includes sudden numbness or weakness on one side of the body, confusion or trouble speaking, trouble seeing in one or both eyes, difficulty walking or balancing and severe headache with no known cause.
"It is best to head to the hospital immediately after the onset of symptoms. Preferably within 4.5 hours because reperfusion therapy (re-establishing blood supply), such as thrombolysis and thrombectomy in ischemic stroke, has been proven to minimise disability.
"It is understood that up to 90% of strokes can be prevented and attributable to a few modifiable risk factors. Knowing these risk factors and taking the necessary steps to reduce them, you can lower your chances of having a stroke," he added.
Meanwhile, Sunway City's Consultant Rehabilitation Medicine Specialist at Sunway Medical Centre, Dr Foong Chee Chong, said with medical advancements, there are many rehabilitation processes fit for stroke survivors, such as robotic technology, non-invasive brain stimulation, and virtual reality that can help stroke survivors achieve better functional improvement.
"One such advanced technology is an exoskeleton gait trainer, which helps to increase the chances of stroke survivors in improving their mobility, which generally takes one to three months. This is because such robotic technology not only provides intensive training with accurate feedback, it also offers various levels of assistance depending on the severity of the patient," he said.
For stroke survivors, Dr Foong said rehabilitation is an imperative part of the journey to recovery and choosing a healthcare facility that is well-equipped with the right expertise and tools to support the process leads to significant improvements.
According to Dr Foong, a stroke survivor can also perform a few types of exercises at home depending on the severity of the stroke, such as flexibility exercises, strengthening exercises, balance exercises, functional task training and aerobic exercise.
"More importantly, support your loved ones throughout their long recovery journey. Be patient and persevere. Although they may not be able to regain their health and function completely, they do understand that they can still have a meaningful life, albeit in other ways," Dr Foong advised.- Bernama
