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| Sunday, 16 February 2003 |
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Say 'no' to fast food, pre-cooked meats: Lankans warned against strokes by Shanika Sriyananda Liyanage Neuro physicians last week cautioned Sri Lankans against the danger of strokes - the third major cause of death and disability in the country - and warned against sedentary lifestyles and frequent consumption of fast food, identifying the two as leading causes of stroke. They stressed the need to restrict the consumption of salt, meat, rich fast food items and pre-prepared salty red meat products like sausages. Dr. Jagath Wijesekara, Consultant Neuro Physician urged for life style modification to prevent stroke. " Stick to a balanced diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables. Say 'no' to fast foods and take more exercise", he said. He said that over 48 percent of the bedridden patients treated at the Colombo National Hospital were those who had high blood pressure and did not take treatment regularly. " It is very important to bring the patients to the nearest hospital as soon as he or she suffers from mini strokes, which are the 'warning signals'. These signals cannot be ignored", he added. The warning was sounded at a recent seminar on 'strokes' in connection with the National Stroke Day, which is scheduled to be held on February 28th in a bid to raise public awareness on the prevention of this sudden 'brain attack'. Dr. Wijesekara stressed the need for an islandwide treatment service to bring down the alarming rate of stroke cases. "It is time to make treatment facilities available in all regional hospitals. On the other hand physiotherapists and occupational therapists should be available even in each major hospital to have quality care for those disabled due to stroke", he added. He said there was no proper data on the number of stroke patients in the country. "Due to this, we are unable to assess the severity of the illness", he said. Dr. Udaya Ranawaka, Neuro Physician said that the 'clot busters', to dissolve blood clots' and drugs to reduce brain swelling were available in most of the developed countries. "But we cannot afford these drugs since they are so expensive. However, we should introduce these drugs because our death and disability rate due to stroke keeps on increasing", he said. A walk to mark the 'National Stroke Day', organised by the Sri Lanka National Stroke Association will commence at 7 am on the 28th of this month at the Town Hall in a bid to raise public awareness. A free clinic and a seminar on 'Stroke/Healthy life style' will also be held on the same day with the assistance of the Ministry of Health and the Colombo Municipal Council. |
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