Person wey get stroke need reach hospital sharp sharp, but na only few hospitals for Nigeria and Ghana get wetin dem need to treat am. Know the signs and where you fit go before e happen.
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Stroke dey happen when blood stop to reach one part of the brain, because say blood vessel block or burst. Without blood, that part of the brain go begin die.
High blood pressure (or 'BP') na im dey cause most stroke for Nigeria and Ghana. Go check your own this month.
One big study wey dem call SIREN compare 2,118 people wey don get stroke with 2,118 people wey never get am, for 15 hospitals for Nigeria and Ghana. Like two out of every three stroke na clot wey block blood vessel cause am, and one out of three na blood vessel wey burst inside brain.
Whether e block o or e burst o, na still high BP cause am. In fact, if to say nobody get high BP, nine out of every ten of these stroke for no happen.
The scientists them find ten other things wey fit raise your chance to get stroke, and you fit change all of them. The ones wey big pass, one by one, na too much fat for blood like cholesterol, to dey chop meat too much, belle wey over big pass your hip, and sugar disease (diabetes). After those ones na say person no dey too chop green vegetable like ugu and spinach, or e too dey stress, or e too dey add salt to him food, heart disease, say e no too dey move body, and cigar.
All eleven together fit explain 98% of stroke. Most times these things dey join hand cause stroke, no be only one.
These signs dey come sudden. So remember BE FAST:
Most people still dey teach only FAST. But for one study wey expert do, them see say FAST alone go miss 14 out of every 100 stroke. When dem add B and E, that is balance and eyes, e come down to like 4 out of 100.
Tell the person make e smile, make e raise both hands, and make e repeat one simple sentence. If any one of the three no work, treat am like stroke.
Write down the time wey the signs start. If them from sleep wake like that, write down the time wey person take eye see them sey them normal.
No give them something chop o. Even water or tablet, no give them, because stroke fit cause problem for how person dey swallow.
Call 112 for Nigeria or Ghana, or 767 for Lagos. Plenty towns no get ambulance wey you fit trust, so most times na car and driver wey sabi road go run am. Na now you suppose think which car e go be, and make sure say e ready.
No go small clinic o. Go the biggest hospital wey you fit reach, like teaching hospital or hospital wey get CT scan machine wey dey work, and call dem before you reach if you fit. Carry the person medicine, or snap the packets, and any BP reading wey e never tey dem check am.
If na blood clot cause the stroke, hospital fit give medicine wey dey break the clot. E dey work best if dem give am early. People wey sabi talk say them suppose take the medicine before four and half hours pass from the first sign of stroke, or from the last time wey anybody take eye see them say them dey alright.
Most people dey reach hospital late. For Africa, like eight out of every ten stroke patient reach hospital three hours or more after e start.
Still go, even if time don pass. Some patients fit still collect the medicine after them do special scan, and better hospital care fit save their life even if them no collect the medicine.
E no too plenty. For 2022, na only five out of Nigeria 58 teaching hospitals and federal medical centres get stroke unit, that na ward wey dem arrange only for stroke patients. That time na only two of them don ever give the medicine wey dey break clot. All five get CT scan machine.
For Ghana, one survey of 11 big hospitals for 2015 and 2016 find only one stroke unit, seven CT scan machine wey dey work, and no medicine to break clot anywhere. Since then, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital for Kumasi don start to give the medicine wey dey break clot, from March 2024.
Try find out today which big hospital near you get scan machine wey dey work. Call the hospital, or ask your doctor.
The first thing na brain scan. Both clot and blood vessel wey don burst fit resemble until you do scan, and the medicine wey dey break clot fit cause wahala if na blood vessel wey burst cause the stroke.
After that, the main work na to protect the part of the brain wey survive. Doctors go dey follow BP, blood sugar, oxygen and water for body bumper to bumper for the first days. This special care dey save life even where no medicine to break clot dey.
To swallow food and water after stroke need special care. Stroke fit make throat weak, so food fit miss road enter lung cause pneumonia (lung infection). People wey dey struggle to swallow after stroke dey quick get pneumonia, and pneumonia dey kill plenty people like that. So if you visit person wey get stroke, no go carry food give them o. Ask whether dem don test how the person dey swallow before you even give them ordinary water, pap or medicine.
People wey dem treat for stroke unit get better chance to survive, go back house and start to help themself. So physio, or exercise wey dey help body move again, and speech therapy suppose start early.
Some people dey recover finish. For others, recovery fit take months or years.
Na family dey do most of the work to help person recover. If person wey you live with get stroke, ask the people for hospital make dem teach you wetin to do before e come back house.
Stroke fit cause depression. Like one out of every three people wey survive stroke for Africa south of the Sahara get depression, and plenty times nobody notice am because everybody dey look their arm or leg. If person wey dey recover don over weak, stop to chop, or e dey cry dey cry and e no fit talk why, encourage am make e go meet doctor. Dem fit treat am.
Plenty people still dey use agbo and other herbal medicine. For one study for Kumasi, 43% of people wey survive stroke use am, mostly because dem want get their body quick. Government no too dey check herbal medicine, and most times nobody fit talk whether e safe or e dey work, so that money wey you want carry buy agbo go serve you well if you join am pay for physio.
Stroke dey cost money step by step. First na the emergency: transport, the scan, admission, and drugs from hospital pharmacy. For Komfo Anokye, only the medicine wey dey break clot cost like GH₵15,000 for one patient for 2024. After that na the hospital bed, and person fit stay there for weeks.
The last step na where families no too dey reason until e reach. But na him cost pass. Person wey get stroke go need months of physio, walking frame or wheelchair, to change things for house, and many times another adult go need stop work make them fit care for the person.
Ask early, when dem just admit am, how much everything fit cost, which one you fit pay small small, and which part of the recovery work family fit learn do for house. If you get health insurance, e fit carry the cost come down well well.
After stroke, the chance to get another dey high. Like 3 out of 100 people go get another one inside one month, and like 11 out of 100 inside one year.
Take your BP tablet every day, for life, and check say your number dey come down. Take blood thinner or cholesterol tablet if your doctor give you. Reduce salt, move your body more, and leave cigar.
Ask about your heartbeat too. When heart dey beat anyhow, wey dem dey call atrial fibrillation, e fit send clot go brain. Doctor fit find am if e feel your pulse and do ECG (heart tracing). Blood thinner like warfarin fit stop like two out of every three of that kind stroke.
Learn BE FAST and teach the people wey follow you dey house, because who get stroke no dey quick sabi say dem get am. Then check your own BP this month.
Some people dey recover finish. Plenty people go still weak or dem no fit talk well, but e fit better after months or years if dem dey practise every day and do physio.
No. High BP na the main thing wey dey cause am. Stroke na the damage wey happen when blood vessel for brain block or burst.
Government no dey check herbal medicine, and plenty times nobody don talk whether e safe or say e dey work. Physio and BP treatment dey help.