"Stroke is among the three most common causes of death alongside cancer and heart disease and is usually caused due to an irregular heartbeat called artial fibrillation (AF), which increases the risk of stroke by four to five times."
This was revealed by speakers at an awareness symposium organised by Bayer HealthCare Pakistan, which is one of the world's leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical industry, in a bid to raise awareness of stroke in artial fibrillation and to highlight the newest treatment here at a hotel on Saturday.
Leading Cardiologist Professor Dr Sheharyar Khan chaired the symposium while Professor Dr Bilal Zakariah Khan, Head Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) and Consultant Neurologist Professor Dr Amir Ikram spoke on the occasion. A large number of doctors attended the symposium.
Professor Dr Bilal Zakariah Khan said the likelihood of suffering from AF increased with age so about one in 10 70-year olds had the condition. "If a patient has a stroke and if he survives, his life is changed forever in an instant. For patients at risk of having a stroke- and indeed for their families, the misfortune of developing AF need not escalate into the misery of a stroke," he said.
It may be noted that the healthcare industry was searching for a medication having a high safety profile to prevent stroke in patients of AF. A new generation of drugs (Noval Oral anti-coagulants) that prevent stroke in patients with AF are coming into use. Professor Dr Amir Ikram said stroke was a major public health problem in developing countries of South Asia, adding that stroke epidemiology differed between Pakistan and Western populations. Besides the established stroke risk factors (eg hypertension, smoking, and diabetes) some potentially unique stroke risk factors related to life style and dietary habits such as Huqqa smoking, use of Dalda and Desi Ghee, and orally consumed forms of tobacco, may exist in Pakistan, and warrant further investigation.
Professor Dr Sheharyar Khan said venous and arterial thromboembolism (VAT) was caused when some or all of a clot detached and was moved within the blood stream until it obstructed a smaller vessel, adding that could result in damage to vital organs because the tissue beyond the blockage no longer received nutrients and oxygen. "VAT is responsible for significant morbidity and mortality and requires active or preventive treatment to avoid potentially serious or fatal patient outcomes."