TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Goan diet and lifestyle makes us prone to coronary diseases, with an average 54,000 stroke cases being reported each year, neurological experts claimed. They raised questions whether the relatively affluent State is slowly seeing a large number of people getting strokes, and could be on the way to becoming an epicenter of the disease.
Addressing media, Consultant Neurosurgeon at Apollo Victor Hospital Dr Antonio Figueiredo said that strokes are very common in Goa as people here are addicted to high fatty diet, alcohol intake and smoking.
“Goa being an epicenter for strokes, it is essential to diagnose and get the symptoms treated in advance, rather than suffering a disablement and becoming dependent on your relatives,” the neurologist said.
Figueiredo pointed out that according to the latest figures on an average 54,000 stroke cases are reported in Goa every year, with nearly 10-15 patients being admitted to Apollo Victor Hospital every month. The number of patients might include people from the neighbouring Karnataka and Maharashtra areas bordering Goa, he said.
Figueiredo was talking at the launch of State’s first comprehensive Stroke Management Unit launched by Apollo Victor Hospital in Margao with support of the world’s leading pharmaceutical company German based Boehringer Ingelheim. The cardiac team at Apollo comprises of a neurosurgeon, physician, interventional radiologist, intensive care doctors, physiotherapists and rehabilitation specialized in stroke management.
Hospital Unit head Dr Ananth Mohan Pai, raised the fear that Goa might soon be highlighted in the list of leading Indian states having the maximum number of stroke cases, after North Indian states. He said that there are various factors responsible especially the diet, alcohol intake and smoking.
“If a patient reaches the hospital early, blood clot busting drug can help to completely reverse the effects of Ischemic stroke. It is absolutely essential that the patient should reach the hospital within 30 minutes if they suffer from numbness of face, arm or leg, weakness, loss of balance, troubled vision, etc,” Pai said.
October is observed as the stroke month, with October 29 marked as the World Stroke Day.
