Mr. Nguyen Van Chien (60 years old, Ho Chi Minh City - character name has been changed) was taken to People's Hospital 115 (Ho Chi Minh City) by his family for emergency treatment with a diagnosis of cerebral infarction. The patient recounted that at around 5am, after making tea, he began to experience symptoms such as hemiplegia, loss of feeling in his legs and arms.
On average, Mr. Chien smokes about a pack of cigarettes a day. In addition, he also has high blood pressure but did not know it until he was hospitalized. This is one of the risk factors leading to stroke.
According to Dr. Tran Van Song - Director of People's Hospital 115, in 2024, the hospital received more than 17,300 stroke cases. Of these, 15% of stroke patients were due to cerebral hemorrhage, causing high disability and death.
At Xuyen A General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, Mr. Nguyen Quang Vinh (75 years old, Hoc Mon district, Ho Chi Minh City - character name has been changed) was admitted in a state of weakness on the left side of his body, unable to walk. Mr. Vinh had a history of high blood pressure, did not go to the hospital for regular check-ups, only bought medicine to take at home and was a heavy smoker. The doctor diagnosed an acute cerebral infarction within the golden hour.
According to the patient, at noon on the same day of hospitalization, he went to a party, drank beer and felt dizzy. When he got home, he discovered that half of his left side was weak and thought it was a normal symptom in the elderly. About an hour later, the symptoms of weakness gradually became worse and he could not walk.
Another stroke case with a history of high blood pressure but did not go to the doctor and did not receive continuous treatment was patient Vu Thi Tam (74 years old, Cu Chi district, Ho Chi Minh City - character name has been changed). While at home, Ms. Tam suddenly felt weakness in the left side of her body, this condition lasted for about 15 minutes. Suspecting this was an early sign of a stroke, Ms. Tam was taken to the hospital by her family.
Doctor Diep Trong Khai - Head of the Department of Neurology, Xuyen A General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City - said that in the last days of the year, near Tet, the number of stroke cases has continuously increased. Most of them are elderly people with chronic underlying diseases. In just 2 days, the hospital received 3 emergency cases of critical brain stroke. In addition, every day, the hospital receives a large number of people coming to examine problems related to neurological, cardiovascular, respiratory diseases, etc.
Doctor Trong Khai recommends that people should pay attention to choosing the nearest medical facility that treats strokes when detecting typical signs of stroke such as sudden mouth distortion, difficulty speaking, weakness in limbs or loss of language... in order to make the most of the golden time for treatment.
People with chronic underlying diseases such as high blood pressure, high blood fat... should have regular check-ups, follow the doctor's treatment regimen; do not buy medicine or self-treat at home. At the same time, limit alcohol and do not smoke. Exercise regularly; maintain a suitable weight; have a reasonable diet; avoid excessive stress and keep your body warm in the cold season.
