Expressing concern over surge in the number of stroke cases in the country, neurologists have called for focusing on stroke research and campaigns to educate people about the risks of stroke. They were speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the two-day 9th National Stroke Conference, which get underway here at a local hotel on Saturday.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony, Pakistan Stroke Society (PSS) President Prof Qasim Bashir said that most strokes are caused by a clot that cuts off blood flow to the brain but some cases are caused by a weakened blood vessel that ruptures and bleeds into the brain.
These so-called hemorrhagic strokes are the deadliest and least treatable type, he added. According to him, there has been a surge of clinical studies for intra-cerebral hemorrhage (ICH), the most common of the two types of hemorrhagic stroke. ICH is caused by bleeding in the brain when an artery bursts.
He said high blood pressure is the most common cause of ICH. Other causes of stroke include trauma, infection, tumors, blood vessel malformations and a degenerative condition known as cerebral amyloid angio-pathy. To a query, he said patients with type 2 diabetes are two to four times more likely to have a heart attack or stroke, which means a rise in diabetes cases, is expected to trigger a sharp increase in these potentially deadly heart and circulatory conditions. On the opening day, sessions were held in which rescuers and nurses were trained in the management of stroke patients.