Why are there more and more cerebral infarctions in China? Reminder: In addition to supplementing folic acid, it is more important to do these 3 points

Zeng Xu (pseudonym) is an IT practitioner. There is a lot of competition in the industry, and his colleagues are often " introverted ". There are only a handful of days when he can get off work on time every day.

On this day, as usual, Zeng Xu struggled to get home until after 11 o'clock in the evening. He went to bed when he was ready to take a shower. He only took a bath for less than 5 minutes. Suddenly, one side of his limbs did not obey, lost his balance, and fell to the ground.

After waking up, not only was he unable to speak, but he also had no feeling on the right side of his body. His roommate quickly dialed 120 and rushed to the hospital. After a series of tests, it was found that he was diagnosed with acute cerebral infarction.

Nowadays, more and more people in China are suffering from cerebral infarction. What is the "culprit"?

1. The number of Chinese people suffering from cerebral infarction is twice as high as that in the United States

According to a 2016 Global Burden of Disease Analysis report published by The Lancet, the number of deaths due to stroke in the world reached 5.5 million, and China accounted for 1/3, 1.79 million.

From an epidemiological point of view, the prevalence and incidence of stroke in China have increased in the past 20 years, but the mortality rate has not increased, which is consistent with the trend in low- and middle-income countries, but the incidence of stroke in high-income countries is decline.

According to the analysis of The Lancet, China's new cerebral infarction patients account for about 40% of the world's total. The incidence rate in China is twice as high as that in the United States , and the average age of cerebral infarction in China is earlier than that in the United States. 10 years or so.

Many people may be confused - obviously Americans prefer to eat all kinds of fries, burgers, and drink beer, but the number of cerebral infarctions is decreasing? In fact, it is mainly affected by the following two reasons:

① There are many patients with high blood pressure

In China, there are nearly 300 million hypertensive patients, and only 29.6% of them can control their blood pressure well; only 4.2% of hypertensive patients obediently follow the doctor's advice and keep their blood pressure within a safe range. Most people don't even realize they have high blood pressure.

While 90% of stroke risk was attributed to 10 controllable risk factors, 34.6% of strokes were attributed to hypertension .

Hypertension is the number one risk factor for stroke, just like a water pipe. If it is in a high-pressure environment for a long time, the damage and aging of the water pipe will be accelerated.

According to clinical findings, every 10 mm Hg increase in systolic blood pressure can increase the risk of stroke by 49% ; every 5 mm Hg increase in diastolic blood pressure can increase the risk of stroke by 46%.

② less folic acid supplement

Homocysteine ​​(Hcy) is an intermediate product of human protein metabolism. Normally, this product needs to be metabolized through remethylation and transsulfation.

However, if the key decomposition factors are insufficient, such as folic acid and vitamin B12 deficiency, it will hinder the metabolism of Hcy and make it accumulate in the human body, thereby inducing H-type hypertension.

In order to reduce the risk of stroke among the public, the United States has specifically required the public to supplement folic acid mandatory , but there is no similar mandatory policy in China.

2. 4 habits will "give birth" to cerebral infarction, get rid of it as soon as possible

The research institute of McMaster University in Canada, which has cooperated with scientists from 32 countries, conducted an assessment of stroke risk factors in more than 6,000 subjects from 22 countries, and found that smoking, lack of exercise, high blood pressure, high blood lipids, heart disease, diet , alcohol, diabetes and other risk factors for stroke. Therefore, the following bad habits should be changed as soon as possible:

1. High salt diet

A study in The Lancet analyzed daily sodium intake and blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and mortality. The results found that the average Chinese can eat 5.58 grams of sodium per day , while residents of other countries eat an average of 5.58 grams per day. 4.49 grams of sodium, the more sodium you eat, the higher your risk of stroke.

2. Smoking

Some studies have found that there is a dose-response relationship between smoking and stroke, and the risk of heavy smokers is twice that of light smokers .

3. Drinking

A prospective study of Chinese men showed that heavy drinkers had a 22% increased risk of stroke compared with those who drank less or abstained .

4. Not controlling your weight

The current research on the relationship between weight and stroke is very certain that abdominal obesity and increased BMI are independent risk factors for stroke. Those who were overweight and obese had a 22% and 64% increased risk of stroke, respectively .

3. If you don't want cerebral infarction to "get into trouble", 4 things must be done well

High blood pressure is one of the main risk factors for cerebral infarction. To keep blood pressure stable, the following healthy lifestyles are indispensable.

1. Folic acid supplement

Folic acid is a water-soluble vitamin that can generally be supplemented with food. For example, mung bean contains 393 folic acid per 100 grams; amaranth contains 330.6 folic acid per 100 grams, and animal offal, such as sheep liver and chicken liver, are rich in folic acid.

It is recommended that folic acid is mainly supplemented by food. If the intake of folic acid is insufficient, it can be supplemented in the form of medicine under the guidance of a doctor or pharmacist.

2. Change your eating habits

Change the high-sodium diet, control the daily amount of salt, and pay attention to the intake of invisible salt, such as cooked food, seasonings, and plums. You can pay attention to eating more high-potassium foods every day , which is conducive to promoting sodium excretion and blood pressure. Foods rich in potassium include vegetables, fungi, and fruits.

3. Strengthen exercise

Any patient with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases needs to maintain a certain amount of exercise. In addition to improving physical fitness, it can also promote blood circulation, lower blood cholesterol, and reduce arteriosclerosis.

It is recommended for middle-aged and elderly people to focus on light aerobic exercise, such as Tai Chi, badminton, jogging, etc.

4. Adhere to drug treatment

The prevention of cerebral infarction can also use some drugs, such as antihypertensive drugs, lipid-lowering drugs and so on. Don't feel that it is very troublesome to take medicine every day. These medicines should be used consistently to help prevent cerebral hemorrhage and cerebral infarction .

The onset of cerebral infarction is menacing, but it is not without trace. Before the onset of the disease, patients often have symptoms such as numbness, weakness or paralysis of the unilateral limb, skewed mouth and eyes, and slurred speech . Once these symptoms appear, seek medical attention as soon as possible to avoid occurrence acute cerebral infarction.

Many risk factors for stroke can be intervened, treatable and controllable, but few people can persist and actively correct their unhealthy lifestyles.

Practicing a healthy lifestyle is not just talking about it. From this moment on, start with eating less salt and more vegetables and fruits every day. I believe that soon, you will be able to discover changes in your body.

References:

[1] "The incidence of stroke in China ranks among the highest in the world. How many of these risk factors do you have? 》.Health Times.2019-03-28

[2] "Hypertension begins to focus on young people. Doing these 7 things can reduce blood pressure". Tencent Medical Code. 2022-10-08

[3] "Chinese people generally eat too much salt, beware that blood pressure can't stop the car! 》.Medical Endocrinology Channel.2019-02-03

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