Kathmandu, December 27

Ischemic stroke can be prevented if a patient with early symptoms is rushed to the hospital within three to four hours.

When an artery to the brain is blocked, a patient suffers ischemic stroke. It is caused by various reasons. The most common reason is narrowing of the arteries in the neck or head. This is mainly caused by atherosclerosis, or gradual cholesterol deposition.

If the arteries become too narrow, blood cells may collect and form blood clots. These blood clots can block the artery where they are formed, or can dislodge and become trapped in arteries closer to the brain. Another cause of stroke is blood clots in the heart, which can occur as a result of irregular heartbeat, heart attack, or abnormalities of the heart valves.

According to Dr Gopal Sedai, a Neuro surgeon, if patients with symptoms of ischemia stroke reach hospital within two to three hours, the patients can be saved from possible ischemic stroke.

Some of the common symptoms of ischemic stroke are sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arms or legs, especially on one side of the body, sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding, sudden trouble seeing or blurred vision in one or both eye and sudden trouble walking, dizziness and loss of balance, among others.

“If the patient is immediately taken to hospital, the blockage of blood can be opened through medicine,” said Sedai, adding, “With the help of medicine, obstruction can be removed and prevent patients suffering stroke. But due to the lack of awareness about the symptoms of the disease, people come to the hospital very late which results in paralysis.” It has become necessary to make people aware of its symptoms so that more people can be saved from suffering stroke.

One out of 10 people in the country experience stroke. Most of the patients come to the hospital in the last stage. “For average Nepali citizens, it is very difficult to bear the treatment expenses of stroke. Emergency surgery for stroke costs Rs 100,000,” Sedai informed. “We have been requesting the government to enlist stroke in the list of diseases for which government provides free treatment,” he added.