Ahmedabad: While lack of exercise, sedentary lifestyle, diabetes, and hypertension raise the risk of cardiovascular diseases, they can also lead to neurological diseases, said experts on World Brain Day, observed annually on July 21.This year’s theme is ‘Brain Health: Access to All’, reflecting the need for prevention and early intervention for all classes of society.“A major study encompassing all countries and analysing data from 1990 to 2021 indicated that India reported the highest incidence of stroke among young people at 1.31 lakh,” said Dr Kalpesh Shah, a neurosurgeon at Zydus Hospital.Shah added, “While we do not have micro data, the decadal rise is apparent with about three to four patients out of every 10 being below 60 years.”Dr Deepak Malhotra, consultant neurosurgeon at Apollo Hospital, said that stroke patients also have the same risk factors as cardiac patients. “Apart from brain stroke, youth generally also form the bulk of brain haemorrhage cases due to road traffic accidents (RTA),” he said.Malhotra added, “Thus, awareness is key to saving lives and reducing chances of long-term or short-term disabilities.”After the age of 40, people should know their blood pressure, said Dr Riddhi Patel, neurologist and stroke specialist at Shalby Hospital. “Often, these conditions come out while the patients come with stroke and other complications,” she said. “Neurological health is also associated with overall well-being, including balanced diet, proper sleep and physical activity.”Patel added, “The key message is to identify the signs early and get medical intervention as soon as possible.”Experts point to the BE FAST acronym to remember the classic symptoms associated with a brain stroke. The acronym stands for balance loss, eyesight change, face droop, arm weakness, speech difficulty, and time to call emergency services.The first 60 minutes are crucial for satisfactory long-term results, and thus that window is considered ‘golden hour’.
