Kathmandu. More than 50,000 people are affected by stroke every year in the country. Raju Paudel, outgoing president of Nepal Paralysis Association, stated this fact in the context of World Stroke Day.
With the slogan ‘every minute is important’, stroke day is going to be celebrated in Nepal today as well. He said that every 10 minutes in Nepal, one person has a stroke.
President Paudel said, “A stroke occurs when there is no blood circulation in any part of the brain. If there is a lack of oxygen and nutrients in the brain, the brain loses its control when blood accumulates in the blood vessels and blocks it. This is called a stroke.”
Nepal Paralysis Association was established in 2017 to find out the current situation of cerebral palsy in Nepal and ways to treat it. Dr. Paudel said that international standards are being set for the treatment of stroke.
The association has been collaborating with the University Hospital of Heidelberg, Germany. Similarly, GIZ has been working in collaboration with organizations such as the World Health Organization on brain injury.
Dr. Paudel says that one third of those who have suffered a stroke die prematurely, and the government should pay special attention to prevent it from becoming catastrophic. “One in every four people in the world and one person in three seconds has the possibility of paralysis, we should be aware of this”, he said.
Around 12 million people are affected by stroke every year worldwide. Dr. Poudel said that 50 percent of those affected die due to brain damage.
He said that the rate of stroke is high in an underdeveloped and developing country like Nepal, so it is necessary for the government to pay attention in time. It is said that 15 to 20 percent of those who have a stroke in Nepal now die.
According to him, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, smoking, inactive lifestyle, unbalanced diet and irregular heart rhythm can lead to paralysis, so one should be cautious about it.
Loss of balance, crooked face, sudden loss of eyesight, slurring of speech, numbness of limbs are symptoms of paralysis and treatment is possible if these symptoms are seen within four hours, Dr. Paudel says. Because blood clots in the body during a stroke, the patient needs to be treated with blood thinners and in addition to this, the patient needs physiotherapy. -Rasus