Mini site gives vital info on stroke prevention and control

An educational mini site to arouse public awareness of stroke signs, the benefits of timely access to emergency medical care, and to teach family members what to do when a person suffers a stroke was launched ahead of World Stroke Day on Friday.

Strokes account for one-fifth of deaths in China and they are a leading artery disease with high incidence, high mortality, high disability rate and high relapse, local medical experts said.

The first 4.5 hours after a stroke is the key time for effective rescue and recovery. When a person has a stroke, every second that goes by is crucial, as the brain tissue and neurons begin to fade away.

"Time is brain, and time is life. The first 4.5 hours after an outburst is the golden time for thrombolytic therapy which can reopen the blocked blood vessel and resume blood circulation," said Dr Zhao Jing from Minhang Hospital of Fudan University. "The earlier the better for treatment results."

"So we are promoting education to call for each person to be able to identify stroke signs and to involve effective rescue. It is a rally involving calling the ambulance, patient transportation, green channel in the emergency room and the clinical practice of doctors," Zhao said.

"Since most people suffer a stroke at home, family members are the first and the most important steps in saving a patient's life. We want more people to have awareness of strokes and common knowledge about stroke rescue."

The mini site addresses stoke prevention, educational tests, rescue, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation.

It is designed to help families and individuals to learn about strokes and help them to deal with the difficulties and challenges of different stages of the disease, said officials from Boehringer Ingelheim, a leading pharmaceutical company, when launching the site.