On average, there are 400 cases of strokes in the district per year. Although the director of the Stroke Unit of the Local Health Unit of the Northeast states that there is no concrete data in the district, since the estimate is made according to the number of people who go to the emergency room, he considers that “400 cases per year, currently, It’s a lot for a population that, according to the census, has around 123 thousand inhabitants.” “It’s as if a medium-sized village was completely affected by a stroke”, explained Jorge Poço. In addition to the number of strokes being worrying, the doctor also said that it has been increasing in younger people. “They usually occur as we get older, however, we often see patients aged 40/50 years old, here in our region, who have had a stroke, which becomes scary”, he highlighted. Jorge Poço explained that this is due to the “habits” that younger people have, particularly when it comes to food. “We all know that the food we often eat, fast food, is not the healthiest. As well as tobacco habits, drugs, a sedentary lifestyle and obesity, which is reflected much later in what will come”, he highlighted. Therefore, although age and genetics are risk factors for the occurrence of stroke, the director recalled that there are others that can be controlled, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, consumption of tobacco and alcohol. According to Jorge Poço, “around 10% to 15%” who have a stroke can die in the first week and that “around 50% of people are still dependent on some activity of daily life” a year after the incident. . “The patient can be bedridden, without the ability to even take a step, they can have vision changes and, for example, in younger people, they can no longer drive, or they can be left with a great inability to express themselves”, he highlighted. Therefore, he asks that people pay attention to signs, such as a crooked face, difficulty speaking and loss of strength on one side, particularly in the arm, and that if they appear, 112 should be called. up this Sunday. To celebrate the date, this Tuesday, screenings will be carried out at the Macedo de Cavaleiros Hospital.
