Stroke in the time of COVID - Don't miss the "golden hour"

This is an automatically translated article.

Stroke is currently the leading cause of death and disability for patients, higher than cancer and cardiovascular disease, especially stroke caused by Covid-19 often has a more severe clinical outcome. Recent studies show that many stroke patients during the Covid-19 period due to fear of the Covid-19 epidemic did not go to the hospital in time, causing many stroke patients to lose muscle. Society receives emergency treatment for stroke during the "golden hour", resulting in high disability and mortality, increasing the burden on families and society.

1. What is the "golden hour" for stroke patients?

According to statistics, about 3-5% of COVID-19 patients are at risk of stroke during their illness. Stroke usually occurs in the first 3-5 days when the result is positive, the stroke rate increases even more in patients with severe covid who have underlying medical conditions such as: type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, dyslipidemia, obesity....
The reason COVID-19 can cause a stroke is because the virus increases the inflammatory response and leads to an increase in the formation of blood clots in the arterial and venous systems. vessels in organs, especially the brain and lungs. “After a stroke occurs, every minute that passes, nearly 2 million brain cells die. The first thing in a stroke patient, regardless of the reason, is to get emergency and intervention during the golden hour, which is within 6 hours of the stroke. "- TS.BS Ton That Tri Dung - Head of Internal Medicine, Vinmec International Hospital Da Nang, a leading expert in stroke intervention in the Central region confirmed.

According to Dr. Dung, stroke is increasingly younger in Vietnam, this is a really worrisome problem. Statistics show that up to 10% of stroke patients are aged 18-44. Young people who have COVID-19 and have signs of stroke often don't think about the possibility of a stroke, so they don't go to the hospital right away. They thought they were just tired, so instead of going to the hospital right away, they rested in the hope that their bodies would stabilize. The consequences are severe sequelae of motor and neurological. In addition, the fear of spreading COVID, plus the lack of understanding of the need for early emergency care, when having a stroke, patients also tend to delay hospitalization. Notably, stroke patients infected with COVID-19, in addition to the usual risks such as paralysis, limited mobility, loss of balance, etc., also have respiratory and heart problems caused by the virus. SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, the patient's ability to recover will be more limited and require a longer time.
To treat a stroke, usually, doctors will take early measures to release the clot and re-perfuse the brain. Currently, many hospitals in Vietnam have mastered modern stroke intervention methods, but they are mainly concentrated in big cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. HCM. In the Central and Central Highlands regions, Vinmec Da Nang is known as one of the leading hospitals for stroke emergency and intervention, which has successfully saved the lives of many severe cases. Vinmec Da Nang has a full team of experienced doctors and nurses, modern facilities and standard stroke emergency procedures, ready to give first aid even in cases where the patient is F0 or a stroke caused by Covid-19 to ensure emergency care during the "golden hour", helping patients recover soon.

2. “Screening for risk factors to prevent stroke is the most effective prevention measure”

During the recent severe Covid-19 epidemic, Vinmec Da Nang received many patients with symptoms and risk of stroke. The case of Ms. Nguyen Thi K. P. (48 years old) is an example. Ms. P. had a dull headache for a long time but ignored it because she was busy with work and worried about the epidemic, so she delayed going to the doctor. Fortunately, Ms. P. knew Vinmec Da Nang and was accurately diagnosed with modern equipment, promptly treated with aneurysmectomy, stenting, and actively removing aneurysm. brain before the aneurysm burst, causing a stroke. Even with positive cases of Sars-CoV-2 virus such as patient Nguyen Thi H (54 years old) suffering from persistent headache, being examined and screened and receiving instructions for prevention, waiting for immediate intervention. when recovering from Covid-19 to avoid a stroke. Therefore, the doctor affirmed, patients with risk factors for stroke should be examined, screened, and controlled for risk factors to prevent stroke from occurring.

In fact, before a stroke occurs, the body has "signals" of health that require attention and screening for stroke prevention before it is too late. And whether you are infected with Covid or not, when you have one of the following symptoms that suddenly occur, which means you may be having a stroke, you need to be urgently taken to the hospital for timely emergency
Stroke sudden numbness or weakness in your face, arms, or legs; Sudden inability to speak, distortion of voice, or slurred speech, meaninglessness, inability to understand speech; Sudden loss of vision, especially when symptoms appear in one eye; Sudden severe headache; Dizziness, loss of balance or inability to move at will...

The prevention of stroke in people with risk factors and post-COVID-19 neuropsychiatric status is a matter of great concern. Understanding this need, the Vinmec International General Hospital system has designed a stroke risk screening package and a package of neuropsychiatric disorders after COVID-19 infection. Through the examination package, the patient will be evaluated for neurological - mental, cardiovascular - respiratory functions and conduct surveys to assess the condition of damage to the parenchyma and cerebrovascular system. From there, doctors can determine the risk to take measures to restore neurological status as well as prevent stroke for patients. Especially, for people with underlying medical conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, obesity, etc., this screening makes more sense.

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