Stroke and high cholesterol are one of the leading causes of disability in the world

Stroke-and-high-cholesterol-are-one-of-the-leading-causes-of-disability-in-the-world

Stroke and high cholesterol are like a father with a son. If you have high blood cholesterol and do nothing about it, it is very likely that you will have a stroke. What are the main risk factors for stroke and high cholesterol and what can we do to prevent it? She is consulted, a neurologist at BENU Pharmacy.

Serious consequences

Every year, between 6,000 and 7,000 people are hospitalized with a stroke or stroke, when part of the brain is suddenly left without a blood supply. It is one of the leading causes of disability in the world and one of the leading causes of death. After a stroke, a person will never be the same as before. Never. Because a stroke always leaves damage to the brain. That's why doctors are always happy that the patient goes home on their own and is able to take care of themselves without becoming a burden on the family. In the hospital, doctors face this problem very often - a person understands that he has become a burden to others ... This, in turn, promotes the development of depression, negativity, explains the doctor.

Take measures before it happening?

The incidence of stroke is known to increase in people over 55 years of age. So there is an unavoidable risk factor: age. Genetics is also a special form of stroke that is inherited from parents. Women with migraines are also at higher risk of having a stroke, especially if they have an aura, because they have an altered vascular response and nothing can be done there. But there are risk factors that everyone can adjust - and first of all with lifestyle. Namely, following proper eating. The main diet - vegetables, grain products, olive oil, low-fat dairy products; limited salt consumption, instead of fatty meat - chicken and rabbit, you can also get a little lean pork and beef ... As well as - more physical activity, which allows you to change the level of bad cholesterol in the blood. Moderate physical activity is required. So that the back sweats slightly. Nordic walking is good for Nordic walking and cycling. Physical activity also includes daily walking and not using the elevator.

Risk factors we can influence

First of all, one of the main culprits here is high blood pressure. It is found in 80% of stroke patients. Namely, the blood vessels in the brain respond to high blood pressure. If there is high blood pressure in the long run, it means that the blood vessels are in a constant state of spasm, tension. Over time, microcracks are formed in them, so cholesterol is much, much easier to settle than it would be at the same cholesterol concentration, but without microcracks formed by high blood pressure. But often a person does not even realize that he has high blood pressure, because he does not feel any bad anymore, he is already used to it! In fact, blood pressure should be below 140/90 mmHg. The optimal, healthiest blood pressure is 120/80 mmHg.

Another factor that contributes to the development of a stroke is high cholesterol, which also needs to be controlled. A person does not feel any changes in cholesterol, but in essence, its increase changes the walls of blood vessels, they thicken, plaques are formed (thickening). And if the bank has not yet hardened, it can rupture, the soft contents pass through the blood vessel, it forms a blood clot, clogs the blood vessel, and then there can be both a heart attack and a stroke.

The third important risk factor is diabetes. Elevated blood sugar promotes changes in the walls of blood vessels, they thicken.

Fourth - arrhythmia, arrhythmia, which is often not noticed at all, does not know that it is. When the heart works unevenly, there is a chaotic contraction of the atria of the heart, then the blood flow in the heart becomes twitching, and in places where it is slower, blood clots or thrombi form. Small blood clots with blood flow can be carried to the brain and block a blood vessel of the appropriate diameter.

Fifth - smoking, which also damages blood vessels.

A little more about cholesterol

Cholesterol is shrouded in many myths. It is considered harmful to health and even fatal. But this is not the case, the doctor emphasizes. Cholesterol is a fat that the body needs, it is an integral part of the cell shell, cholesterol is formed from bile acids, some hormones, cholesterol is also needed to synthesize vitamin D. Cholesterol only becomes a health threat when its blood levels are too high.

Another myth - that you do not need to eat fat, then there will be no cholesterol in the blood. Yes, nutrition matters, but it should be noted that most (about 80%) of the cholesterol in the human body is synthesized by the liver. Therefore, even if cholesterol is completely eliminated from the diet, its levels may still be elevated. When your doctor evaluates your fat metabolism, the levels of four factors (lipids or fats) in your blood are analyzed. Thus, total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLH) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLH). The latter is the great pest. Namely, very low levels of lipoproteins are synthesized by the liver and they transport fat from the liver to the rest of the body. LDL consists almost exclusively of cholesterol. When these particles are abundant and a person has other risk factors, low-density cholesterol begins to settle in the heart, brain and other arteries - a disease called atherosclerosis - inflammation of the arteries with cholesterol builds up. Depending on which arteries atherosclerosis develops, it can present as a myocardial infarction (sudden death of a part of the heart muscle), angina (pain in the heart at exertion), stroke (paralysis) and limping (pain when walking in the legs).

In turn, high-density lipoprotein is a good player in fat metabolism - it transports cholesterol from all tissues to the liver, it can also take it away from blood vessels, even a little cleansing them. Lower HDLH (<1.0 mmol / l in men and <1.2 mmol / l in women) have been shown to be associated with a higher risk of heart disease and stroke. The higher the good cholesterol, the greater the body's defenses against atherosclerosis. Therefore, if the HDLH is low, efforts should be made to increase it through natural healthy lifestyle measures - regular physical activity and a healthy diet, especially by reducing sweets and other fast carbohydrates. However, if the level of poor low-density lipoprotein cholesterol is already so high that it poses a serious health problem and cannot be controlled by lifestyle change alone, then medication is needed. It is important to keep the level of LDL in your blood as low as possible to prevent the arteries from clogging. Today, statins are the most effective drug that regulates cholesterol metabolism. The reduction in cholesterol levels with this medicine has been shown to reduce the risk of a thrombotic stroke by 25%. Statins also treat arterial walls.

The stroke happens suddenly!

• The person felt healthy and suddenly developed symptoms ...

• They are manifested by weakness on one side. Numbness, weakness, paralysis, facial asymmetry, slurred speech - difficulty speaking, difficulty understanding and answering develop.

• In such a situation, emergency medical attention must be called immediately!

• The administration of antithrombotic drugs can only be helped within the first three, up to four and a half hours, of the onset of stroke symptoms. Then the best effect can be achieved.

What protects against a stroke?

1. Regular exercise for at least 30 minutes a day.

2. Normal, stable blood pressure. Ideally, it is 120/80 mmHg, but it should not be higher than 139/89 mmHg.

3. Normal cholesterol levels. In a young person under 40 years of age without risk of stroke or infarction, blood levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLH) should be maintained at or below 3 mmol / l. For those over 40-50 years of age, and if there are other risk factors, 2.6 mmol / l can generally be considered the optimal blood LDL level. If atherosclerosis has already developed, the level of LDLH in the blood must be below 1.8 mmol / l.

4. Stable blood glucose levels. The optimal level is 5.6 mmol / l.

5. If there is a glare arrhythmia, it must be treated!

6. Quit smoking!

The health of the carotid arteries is very important!

Because blood flows through them to the hemispheres of the brain. If the wall of this blood vessel thickens and plaque forms, the artery narrows, and this is already a serious risk factor for stroke. The condition of the carotid arteries can be assessed by ultrasound, with a duplex examination. This should be done for people with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, smokers and especially if there is a combination of several of these risk factors. Then the carotid arteries can be cleaned in time - with medication and surgery.

Pharmacist advice

The pharmacist emphasizes that the incidence of cardiovascular diseases, including atherosclerosis, heart attacks and strokes, is quite high among the population. Unfortunately, these diseases affect more and more young people.

Elevated low-density cholesterol is important in atherosclerosis. About 80% of cholesterol is produced in everyone's liver because it is needed to make cells and some steroid hormones. Only 20% are ingested. Although we can each influence and change a number of important factors that affect the rise in cholesterol in the blood. For example, smoking, a sedentary lifestyle, an unhealthy diet, obesity and emotional stress. It is also important to control existing chronic diseases such as arterial hypertension, diabetes, thyroid hypofunction, which in part helps to reduce the development of atherosclerotic events.

It is advisable to pay more attention to a healthier lifestyle so that there is no continuous emotional overload in everyday life, and to remember about moderate physical activity, which, performed daily, will improve not only health but also well-being. It is important to choose foods low in saturated fatty acids, such as whole grains, vegetables, fruits and fish.

Pharmacies offer a variety of supplements that help normalize and maintain normal cholesterol levels in the body. For example, lecithin preparations and the recently popular Chinese red yeast rice preparations. However, when choosing supplements, you should always evaluate each situation individually with your doctor. The total cholesterol reading only shows the direction, but not the essence. It is also important to assess lipid fractions based directly on these parameters (LDLH - low density lipoprotein cholesterol, TG - triglycerides) and cardiovascular risks.

Fish oil, which contains a sufficient amount of Omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids (EPS - eicosapentaenoic acid and DHS - docosahexaenoic acid), will definitely be useful as a preventive measure, which will improve the condition of blood vessels, their elasticity and also prevent the accumulation of triglycerides in the body.