A seminar on stroke made an attempt to bust some myths about the ‘brain attack’ to make people more aware of the dangers of delayed treatment for the condition.
Speaking at the function held at AMA, Dr Arvind Sharma, a neurologist and stroke specialist, said that in many cases the patient suffered stroke-like symptoms only for a brief moment.
“In medical terms it is called Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) and all the symptoms are similar to that of stroke. But they last only for a brief period of time and then the patient feels normal. It would prove very dangerous to ignore even these symptoms,” said Dr Sharma. The symptoms of stroke, he said, include sudden loss or blurred vision, numbness in one arm or leg, difficulty in speech, etc.
Dr Sharma also warned against certain myths about stroke including that it happens only to the old. “I have had patients who were just 27 years old and yet had a stroke,” said Dr Sharma. One of the attendees at the function, Dr Mukund Mehta, a laughter therapist who has been recovering from partial paralysis, talked about how exercise and a positive attitude was a must for recovery from a debilitating illness.
