Home Health Major stroke warning ahead of brutal holiday storms: Cold weather could trigger deadly strokes that are increasing in younger patients

Major stroke warning ahead of brutal holiday storms: Cold weather could trigger deadly strokes that are increasing in younger patients

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Major stroke warning ahead of brutal holiday storms: Cold weather could trigger deadly strokes that are increasing in younger patients

Health experts today warned Britons that falling temperatures may increase the chance of suffering a debilitating stroke.

Low temperatures have long been known to increase risks for vulnerable patients, including the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions such as respiratory illnesses.

But research shows that strokes are also more likely during the colder months, when freezing temperatures increase blood pressure and clotting risks, key triggers of this potentially deadly condition.

According to the latest forecast, temperatures in the UK will plummet before Christmas, with some areas of Scotland seeing lows of -3°C.

Arctic air heading into the UK brings with it frost, ice and snow showers, while severe storms are more likely to hit southern England and Wales over the festive season.

It also comes days after worrying NHS data showed the aambulances took an average of 42 minutes to respond to category two calls, including strokes, in November.

This is more than double the 18-minute target.

A new MailOnline analysis of health services data earlier this month found that strokes among men under 39 have increased by almost a quarter over the past two decades.

Experts said the delays, coupled with increased winter risks, Survivors are at higher risk of permanent disability, putting greater pressure on the NHS.

Without timely treatment, a stroke can lead to death or long-term disabilities such as paralysis, memory loss, and communication problems.

Carolina Fransen, co-founder of Alvica, said: “The sad reality here is that stroke ambulance delays can cost lives or people’s futures.”

“Every minute lost during a stroke is one step closer to irreversible brain damage, but response times remain slow as stroke admissions increase.

‘It’s a double whammy: more people suffer strokes and fewer people receive the timely care they need to maximize their recovery.

“Not only that, but with winter fast approaching, the NHS will be put under even more pressure and research has shown that freezing temperatures can increase the risk of strokes.”

Worryingly, studies also show that heart attacks and strokes are up to twice as likely to occur during cold spells lasting four days or longer.

This is because blood vessels narrow in the skin, fingers and toes in response to the cold as the body tries to conserve heat.

Stroke symptoms are commonly remembered by this four-letter acronym, FAST. Patients who suffer a stroke may often have their face drooping to one side, have difficulty raising both arms and difficulty speaking, while time is of the essence as immediate treatment for a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or A minor stroke can substantially reduce the risk of having a stroke. much deadlier stroke

Stroke symptoms are commonly remembered by this four-letter acronym, FAST. Patients who suffer a stroke may often have their face drooping to one side, have difficulty raising both arms and difficulty speaking, while time is of the essence as immediate treatment for a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or A minor stroke can substantially reduce the risk of having a stroke. much deadlier stroke

Other telltale signs of an impending stroke, equally common, often go unnoticed. These include sudden numbness on one side of the body, sudden vertigo, and difficulty swallowing.

Other telltale signs of an impending stroke, equally common, often go unnoticed. These include sudden numbness on one side of the body, sudden vertigo, and difficulty swallowing.

This process, called vasoconstriction, increases blood pressure and heart rate as the heart has to work harder to pump blood throughout the body.

At the same time, blood becomes thicker and stickier in response when temperatures drop.

This is because the body produces more platelets (blood cells that form clots to stop bleeding) in response to the cold, which increases the risk of clotting.

While this is the body’s normal response to cold weather and an attempt to protect vital organs and maintain internal temperature at 37°C, people with heart disease are at greater risk.

The British Heart Foundation recommends staying warm by wearing lots of layers when outside and minimizing time spent outdoors when it’s very cold.

A study, published in the European Journal of EpidemiologyIt also found how little temperatures need to drop to cause an increase in hospital admissions.

The researchers studied nearly 1,700 patients who were admitted to hospital with a stroke between 2003 and 2010 in the city of Jena, Germany.

Every time the thermometer dropped 2.9°C (5.2°F), the risk of stroke increased by 11 percent over the next two days.

Strokes affect more than 100,000 Britons a year, one every five minutes, and claim 38,000 lives.

Strokes affect more than 100,000 Britons a year (one every five minutes) and claim 38,000 lives.

When they looked at high-risk patients, they found a 30 percent increase in the two days after a cold snap.

Strokes affect more than 100,000 Britons every year (one every five minutes) and claim 38,000 lives.

This makes it the fourth leading cause of death in the UK and a leading cause of disability.

Nearly 800,000 people in the United States are hit by cars each year, resulting in 137,000 deaths.

The problem occurs when the blood supply to the brain is cut off, which kills brain cells. The damage can lead to long-term disability and affect the way people think and feel.

The most common cause is fatty deposits or a blood clot that blocks the arteries that supply the brain, known as an ischemic stroke.

This happens due to cardiovascular disease, when blood vessels become narrowed or blocked over time by plaques.

They are composed of cholesterol, calcium and other substances that accumulate on the walls of the arteries in a process known as atherosclerosis.

The other, called a hemorrhagic stroke, occurs when a blood vessel bursts in the brain and begins to leak its contents into the organ.

It comes as a new MailOnline analysis of NHS data earlier this month found that strokes among men under 39 have increased by almost a quarter over the past two decades.

In comparison, life-threatening attacks on women of the same age have increased by only one percent.

In 2004/2005, men under 39 years of age accounted for 52.8 percent of cases, compared to 47.2 percent of women of the same age.

By 2023/24, this gap had widened further: men accounted for almost two-thirds of all cases, while the proportion of women fell to 42.3 percent.

Last month, health chiefs also warned of a worrying rise in strokes among under-50s.

The number of people aged 50 to 59 suffering from the potentially fatal disease has increased by 55 percent in the last 20 years, official data shows.

Experts said the “alarming” trends showed the disease was not just a risk for the elderly, as the rise was due to obesity, stress, poor diet and sedentary lifestyles.

But survival rates have also improved thanks to medical advances such as the launch of blood-thinning drugs and networks to send patients directly to specialized units.

THE CAUSES OF STROKE

There are two main types of stroke:

1. ISCHEMIC STROKE

An ischemic stroke, which accounts for 80 percent of strokes, occurs when there is a blockage in a blood vessel that prevents blood from reaching part of the brain.

2. HEMORRHAGIC STROKE

The rarest, a hemorrhagic stroke, occurs when a blood vessel bursts, flooding one part of the brain with too much blood and depriving other areas of adequate blood supply.

It may be the result of an AVM or arteriovenous malformation (an abnormal group of blood vessels) in the brain.

Thirty percent of patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage die before reaching the hospital. Another 25 percent die within 24 hours. And 40 percent of survivors die within a week.

RISK FACTORS

Age, high blood pressure, smoking, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, family history, and history of a previous stroke or TIA (a mini-stroke) are risk factors to suffer a stroke.

SYMPTOMS OF A CVA

  • Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body.
  • Sudden confusion, difficulty speaking or understanding
  • Sudden trouble seeing or blurred vision in one or both eyes.
  • Sudden problems walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.
  • Sudden, severe headache with no known cause

RESULTS

Of the approximately three in four people who survive a stroke, many will have lifelong disabilities.

This includes difficulty walking, communicating, eating, and completing everyday tasks or chores.

TREATMENT

Both are life-threatening and patients require surgery or a drug called tPA (tissue plasminogen activator) within three hours to save them.

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