Summer Stroke More Dangerous Than Winter, Doubtful If You Have 'Symptoms Like This'
Aug 25, 2024
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Stroke, which has the fourth-largest stigma in single-disease mortality, is commonly known to occur as blood vessels contract in the cold winter, but rather occurs more in the summer. According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the number of patients in winter exceeded that of about 800,000 in summer (July to October) from 780,000 in winter (January to February and November to December).
Professor Kim Jae-guk of the Department of Neurology at Eulji University Hospital in Daejeon will take a closer look at strokes that should be noted in the summer.
◇ Stroke that is more likely to occur in summer than in winter
Stroke is a disease in which the blood vessels that supply blood to the brain are blocked or burst, causing brain damage, cognitive impairment, and physical disability. It is divided into cerebral hemorrhage with bursting cerebrovascular and cerebral infarction with clogged cerebrovascular. Cerebral hemorrhage has a high incidence during the change of seasons when temperature changes are large, such as March-April and September-November, and cerebral infarction increases in summer. The increase in stroke patients in August last year is also largely due to cerebral infarction.
In summer, blood supply to brain cells is poor as blood vessels in the body expand due to rising body temperature caused by high temperatures, which slows blood flow. In particular, dehydration is likely to occur due to sweating a lot in the hot summer, and when the amount of water in the body decreases, the viscosity of the blood increases and blood clots are more likely to occur. This blood clot, commonly called 'Pi Tteok', travels through blood vessels and blocks blood vessels in the brain, causing cerebral infarction. Therefore, people who usually suffer from high blood pressure or have a family history of diabetes, arrhythmia, and stroke should pay more attention to strokes in the summer.
In addition, when you suddenly go outside with a high temperature while your body temperature drops due to indoor cooling, a sudden temperature difference may cause your sympathetic nerves to become excessively active and blood vessels to contract, increasing the risk of stroke.
◇Stroke, it is important to receive treatment within golden time
When a stroke occurs, ▶facial paralysis ▶ sudden weakness in one of the arms and legs ▶ symptoms of poor pronunciation and speechlessness ▶ extreme headache ▶ double vision, etc. appear. Once damaged, brain cells are difficult to recover again, leaving aftereffects such as paralysis of limbs, speech disorders, and dementia, so it is recommended to receive treatment as soon as possible within the golden time, or 3 hours.
Professor Kim Jae-guk said, "If you have experienced a stroke and have recovered completely within a few minutes, you should visit a hospital because there is a high possibility of transient cerebral ischemia called mini-stroke." "If you suspect a stroke, you should seek accurate diagnosis and treatment through computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, or angiography."," he said.
◇ Prevent routine health checkups and risk factor management
As a measure to prevent stroke in summer, body temperature control is paramount. During the daytime when the temperature is high, it is recommended to refrain from outdoor activities and to do activities indoors. Keep the indoor temperature at an appropriate level, and be careful not to drop your body temperature too much when using air conditioners or fans. Since you sweat a lot, it is also important to take care of your diet, such as paying attention to water intake so as not to lack water in your body, refraining from excessive drinking and smoking, and eating enough vegetables and fruits. He also advised that regular exercise also helps promote blood circulation and control blood pressure, so you should not be lazy.
Management of risk factors for cerebrovascular diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and obesity is also important.
Professor Kim Jae-guk said, `It is especially important to manage high blood pressure because blood vessels cannot withstand and burst due to a sudden increase in blood pressure. In fact, according to statistics from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, 70-80% of cerebral hemorrhage patients are hypertensive patients. "If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, you should take your medication regularly, and you also need the habit of regularly checking your target blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels."
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