Lethal Interruption

Save a life by knowing these facts about one of the world’s deadliest silent killers.

- Amanda Soh

A disease that takes the patient by surprise, stroke is a top-10 cause of hospitalisation, according to a study titled Burden of Stroke in Malaysia. The National Stroke Association of Malaysia also acknowledges it as the third leading cause of death in Malaysia.

A brain attack “Stroke occurs when the supply of blood to the brain is either reduced or interrupted, causing the brain cells to be deprived of oxygen and glucose. This leads to the death of brain cells,” says Dr Sivarani Sathasivam of Columbia Asia Hospital, Petaling Jaya. Nowadays, it’s also increasingly prevalent in the young. “The rising incidence of stroke in young adults correlates with an increasing prevalence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, high cholesterol, and smoking in this age group,” she says. Tackling the problem thus begins with managing these traditional risk factors.

Types of stroke