More than 90 percent of cerebrovascular disease incidents are preventable, said health officials while presenting advice for the public earlier last week, ahead of World Stroke Day yesterday.
Ministry of Health and Welfare data showed that cerebrovascular disease last year accounted for one death every 42 minutes in Taiwan, and ranks fifth out of the top 10 causes of death in the nation.
The public is advised to make changes for starting healthy habits, through self-monitoring and identifying risk factors, thereby helping to lower the risk of stroke, Health Promotion Administration officials said on Thursday.
Photo courtesy of the Health Promotion Administration
For cerebral infarctions, or strokes affecting the brain, the eight major risk factors are high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, an irregular heart beat, insufficient exercise, being overweight or obese, cigarette smoking and a family history of strokes, said Taiwan Stroke Society board member Chen Lung (陳龍).
National Cheng Kung University Hospital doctor Su Hui-chen (蘇慧真) added that in addition to taking medicine to control the “three high indices” of blood lipids, blood sugar and blood pressure, patients often ignore the need to quit smoking and to get regular exercise, and being unable to have the willpower to change to healthier habits, which could result in more serious blood vessel constriction and the reoccurrence of a stroke.
“Patients have eating and living habits similar to their family members, so they must also monitor their own physical conditions. Medical and nursing staff could provide health education materials for patient’s families, helping reduce stroke risk factors, as they are exposed to the same factors in daily life,” she said.
HPA officials also suggested that patients and their family members write down their current health conditions and questions, including those pertaining to stroke risk factors, getting to know the stages of cerebrovascular disease, the effects of prescribed medicine and health check-ups, helping in discussing and receiving advice from the attending doctor and nursing staff, which could also bring better awareness to one’s own body and fitness conditions.
HPA officials said they are working with the Taiwan Stroke Society this year to start pilot projects in cooperation with hospitals to assess the eight major risk factors for strokes to come up with personalized health advisory for patients, which stands at more than 500 cases, as patients have reported improvement in measured indices for blood lipids, blood sugar and blood pressure.
Data from the National Health Insurance Administration showed that Taiwan in 2021 had 437,000 cases requiring hospitalization, afflicted with cerebrovascular disease, which was seventh in ranking for figures in the nation’s overall expenditure on medical treatment, recovery and therapy costs.
The ministry has announced that starting next month, there is to be a coverage expansion under the National Health Insurance program to lengthen the time for those suffering from acute ischemic stroke who need an intra-arterial mechanical thrombectomy procedure and other benefits to improve patient prognosis.
Additional reporting by Jason Pan
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