HYDERABAD: In the last few months, there has been an alarming increase in stroke cases in Telangana. What makes this a bigger cause for concern is that youngsters are suffering strokes. In light of World Stroke Day on October 29, Dr Gaurav Thukal, co-founder and COO of HCAH - Healthcare at Home, a medical rehabilitation centre in the city, talks about precautions, the importance of rehabilitation and recovery centres for stroke patients.
“In India, 87,000 people get strokes every month and most of them are above the age of 60. All the routine things that need to be done are not being done—people are always in denial. Precautions to prevent blood clots in the heart, kidney, and brain are the same.
We can act on the modifiable risk factors such as smoking, obesity, hypertension and diabetes. Maintain a good exercise regime, have a balanced diet, drink more water, be stress-free and get regular checkups to tackle any issues early on,” advises Dr Gaurav.
Dr Gaurav underscores that hypertension is bad news because high BP can lead to bleeding of the brain and this in turn can cause a stroke. For youngsters, the two main causes of strokes are smoking and stress, says Dr Gaurav.
“Smoking is becoming popular among school and college students. They are also stressed because of the pressure to perform well. Another uncontrollable cause may include congenital disorders from birth; 20% of our patients are young and many have defects from birth,” he adds.
‘Act FAST’ is the acronym mantra that the American Stroke Association has come up with. F for face drooping or twisting, A for arm weakness, S for speech difficulty, and T for time to call 911.
Hospitals in India are also underscoring the need to follow this motto and reach the hospital in the ‘golden period’. Dr Gaurav says, “After a stroke, nobody realises that there is a golden period—If you come to a rehab centre between Day 7 and 21 after a stroke, your chances of recovery are full in the next 60 days.
But the moment you start delaying it, the recovery stops after 180 days.” Elaborating on the importance of the brain, the doctor states that it is the only organ that dies if it doesn’t get blood. “The Day 7 to 21 window is a narrow window of neuroplasticity.
If you are able to strengthen the muscles in the body, you can take care of cognition, which is coma stimulation. In the event of a brain stroke, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and cognition therapy practised with the required equipment can help a patient move again,” he shares.
Dr Gaurav swears by recovery in rehabilitation centres. “Our survey shows that people who went home after a stroke take around a year to recover. But in a rehab centre, the maximum time is 90 days. So, the message is clear: Do not waste time by going home.”
