June is Stroke Awareness Month!

June is Stroke Awareness Month!

Emirate Hospital’s Dr Ali Aslani shares the most common factors of stroke in the UAE and offered scenarios for each:

High blood pressure is the single most important risk factor for stroke and it also plays a significant role in the development of heart attacks.

Type 2 diabetes is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease and stroke. The incidence of type 2 diabetes is increasing globally and the UAE has one of the highest rates (18.7 percent). Having diabetes doubles the risk for cardiovascular disease and uncontrolled diabetes increases the risk of premature CVD. In pre-menopausal women, diabetes cancels out the protective effect of estrogens and their risk of heart disease rises significantly.

Smoking risk is significantly high in young and heavy smokers and in woman. Passive smoking is also a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

Abnormal blood lipids – high levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and triglycerides or low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Physical inactivity increases the risk of heart disease and stroke by 50 percent and regular physical activity is known to increases life span. A middle-aged woman doing less than one hour of exercise per week doubles her risk of dying from a cardiovascular event compared to a physically active woman of the same age.

Obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease as it predisposes to diabetes, hypertension and atherosclerosis, all of which increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.

A diet high in saturated fat also increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Though moderate alcohol intake is supposedly beneficial for heart health, excessive alcohol can damage the heart muscle.