The Cardiology, Neurology and Interventional Neuroradiology Services of the Light Hospital They are specialized in stroke care.
This Friday, October 29, is celebrated like every year, World Stroke Day, a disease that is the second cause of death in Spain and the first in women. According to the Spanish Society of Neurology (SEN), every year more than 120.000 Spaniards suffer a stroke with consequences that can cause significant disability.
The aim of this day is to inform and raise awareness in society about this cerebrovascular disease, the importance of prevention and early diagnosis , as well as the risk factors and symptoms.
The Spanish Society of Emergency Physicians (SEMES) states that 1 in 6 people will suffer a stroke in their lifetime, a disease that is more common after the age of 55 and its risk increases proportionally with age.
Detecting symptoms in the first hours is vital to reduce the effects of these vascular accidents on the brain (or cerebral infarctions) and avoid death.
There are two types of stroke, ischemic and hemorrhagic. Ischemic stroke is the most common and occurs as a result of the obstruction of an arterial vessel and therefore a lack of blood flow. Hemorrhagic stroke, on the contrary, is caused by the rupture of a vessel and the appearance of bleeding inside the brain.
In the last decade, novel techniques have been developed that allow stroke patients to be treated with very significant improvement, even with the disappearance of all symptoms. These techniques consist of the use of medication to break up the thrombus, known as fibrinolysis, and the use of neurointerventionism to travel with a catheter to the brain and remove the thrombus. These two tools have revolutionized the treatment of acute stroke and allow a high recovery rate in these patients. However, the benefit is greater the sooner these therapies are started. Fibrinolysis in the first 4 and a half hours, and neurointerventionism in the first 6 hours, and may extend beyond that in some cases.
Different professionals from the Cardiology, Neurology and Interventional Neuroradiology services at Hospital La Luz are specialized in stroke care, allowing a multidisciplinary approach for this type of patient.
For this reason, and in observance of World Stroke Day, an information table will be set up this Friday in the lobby of Hospital La Luz. The table will cover topics such as stroke prevention and early detection, and will also feature two portable stations for carotid Doppler ultrasound, electrocardiograms with a portable device, and blood pressure measurement. Participating in the event will be Dr. Roberto Martín Reyes , Head of the Cardiology Department; Dr. David Pérez Martínez, Head of the Neurology Department; and Dr. Mario Martínez-Galdámez, neuroradiologist and Head of the Diagnostic Imaging Department at Hospital La Luz. These three key medical services work together to prevent and detect stroke early, providing the best possible care.
The most common symptoms for identifying a stroke are the appearance of weakness or loss of strength in an extremity or face, difficulty speaking, acute loss of vision, sudden instability or the presence of a very intense headache like never before. has suffered. When in doubt, a neurological examination is key to identifying this treatable and preventable pathology.