The National Stroke Association of Sri Lanka has called for public support to increasing awareness about stroke. Stroke now stands at the third leading cause for mortality in the country.
It is also the leading cause of adult disability in Sri Lanka with one in 100 people suffering from a stroke at any given time. With the combination of a fast growing rapidly aging population, health officials have predicted that by 2020, 20% of the population in Sri Lanka will be older than 65 years of age - an age beyond which stroke common to occur.
Past President of the National Stroke Association of Sri Lanka ( NSASL) Dr Udaya Ranawaka has also been quoted as warning of “An impending epidemic of stroke in Sri Lanka.”
Despite strides in treating stroke victims, Health officials told the Sunday Observer that treatment of was badly handicapped by the lack of sufficient neurologists (there are only 30 neurologists one per 600 people) and trained staff in stroke care, as well as adequate well equipped dedicated Stroke units.
Training of more neurologists and the setting up of Stroke units in all major hospitals in Sri Lanka should be of the highest priority since we are getting more patients now”, a spokesman for the Association said.
“We also emphasise the need to establish Neuro rehabilitation as a subspecialty for Neurology trainees, and to establish postgraduate program in Rehabilitation Medicine to improve stroke care in Sri Lanka,” he said.
To educate the community of stroke risks, the Stroke Association of Sri Lanka yesterday (World Stroke Day) launched several awareness programs, which included lectures, street dramas, video clips and posters island-wide. Workshops to increase knowledge among hospital staff were also conducted.
According to Secretary of the Association, Dr. Gamini Pathirana, changes in dietary habits and lifestyles were one of the main causes influencing stroke.
“Lack of exercise and dietary habits leading to insulin resistance and obesity have an impact on the rising incidence of stroke. Poorly controlled high blood pressure, diabetes and lipids are also major risk factors, while smoking and unsafe alcohol usage could also lead to stroke,” he told the Sunday Observer.
He said that due to the awareness of beneficial effects of ‘clot buster’ treatment and ‘mechanical retrieval of the clot’, as well as the beneficial effects from ‘early aspirin therapy’ and ‘early acute stroke unit care’ more patients now reach hospital early. “Stroke services will further improve in future due to the rising demand,” Dr. Pathirana said.