BY IRIBHOGBE BUKUNOLA MONSURAT
The Stroke Unit of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) marked World Stroke Day on Tuesday, October 30th, 2024, with impactful events to raise awareness about stroke prevention and management under the theme “Together We Are Greater Than Stroke’’.
The activities focused on the importance of collective action in combating this fatal disease.
The day began with a courtesy visit to the hospital management, led by Professor Abayomi Ogun, who is the Head of the Neurology and Stroke Units of LASUTH, alongside his dedicated team.
During the visit, Prof. Ogun highlighted the significance of strike awareness, sharing the powerful ‘’666’’ mnemonic, revealing the word ‘Stroke’ has six letters, and it affects one in six people every six seconds globally. ‘’With over six million cases annually worldwide. He also stressed the importance of public education to prevent stroke.
Prof. Adetokunbo O. Fabamwo, the Chief Medical Director, warmly welcomed Professor Ogun and his team, expressing pride in LASUTH’s Stroke Unit, which he described as a ‘’one-stop shop for excellent stroke care.’’ He lamented the alarming prevalence of stroke cases nationwide especially the fact that younger people are not spared. He added that the theme which is ‘’Together, we are greater than stroke’’ is a pointer to the fact that prevalence of stroke can be reduced with a team effort.
The CMD also encouraged the Neurology experts to ensure that the citizens of the country are well educated about the existence of the disease by addressing common misconceptions of stroke as a preventable medical condition rather than a spiritual affliction.
Prof. Fambawo further shared the managements plan to upgrade the hospital’s Stroke Unit in the near future. He concluded by commending the stroke team and wishing good health for all.
Following the courtesy visit, the stroke team organized an awareness walk round the hospital, conducting health talks for patients on recognizing early stroke symptoms and risk factors. The team also had series of lectures: ‘’ Current Advances in Stroke’’ by Prof. Abayomi Ogun, ‘’Stroke in Youth Among African Population’’ by Dr. Muhammad Adebayo Saliau, and “Burden and Characteristics of Stroke in the General Young population. NeuroAid MLC901 in Neurorehabilitation, clinical Data” by Dr. Sylvain Durrleman.
In an interview, Professor Ogun explained, ‘’World Stroke Day’’ is a time to recognize stroke as a serious condition that has reached epidemic proportions. it is the second leading cause of preventable deaths globally, and we must act to stop its rise. He highlighted that stroke disproportionately affects people of African descent due to genetic prepositions’ and reiterated LASUTH’s commitment to addressing this through awareness and medical interventions.
Discussing stroke symptoms, Prof. Ogun outlined risk factors including age, hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart problems. Stressing that lifestyle changes are essential to reducing stroke risk.
He shared a helpful acronym, BE FAST, for recognizing early signs of stroke: B-sudden loss of Balance, E-Short term loss of vision in one or both Eyes, F-Facial muscle weakness, A-Arm weakness or numbness, S-Speech difficulties, T-Time to act quickly. Every minute counts, he urged, emphasizing that immediate hospital care improves outcomes significantly.