Stroke survivors and their family members could benefit from palliative care, which focuses on easing pain and other symptoms once they leave the hospital, but the approach is widely underutilized, especially among Black, Hispanic and Asian patients, according to a new science report from the American Heart Association. The scientific statement, published Monday in the AHA journal Stroke, encourages integrating palliative care into all stages of post-stroke care, including strategies for psychosocial health, how to navigate complex health care systems and how to prepare for end-of-life care when necessary. "Stroke is often thought of as an event that is over quickly, but that is not true," Dr. Claire J. Creutzfeldt, who led the statement writing group, said in a news release. Creutzfeldt is an associate professor of neurology at the University of Washington in Seattle. "Even though the majority of strokes are not immediately life-threatening, every stroke is life-altering, and every stroke requires high-quality, person-centered care. Integrating palliative care principles into stroke care is fundamental for all patients and at every stage after a stroke." Dhaka Flow Yoga and Wellness Festival wraps up at Gulshan Society Lake Park Every year, nearly 800,000 people in the U.S. have a stroke, which occurs when a blood vessel to the brain ruptures or becomes blocked by a clot, interrupting blood flow and causing brain cells to die. Stroke is a leading cause of disability and the fifth-leading cause of death in the U.S., contributing to the deaths of about 160,000 people each year. Advances in treatment have allowed stroke survivors to live longer, but they often face long-term challenges, such as cognitive and physical disabilities along with psychosocial problems. The added responsibility of providing care to stroke survivors can be overwhelming for family members. The new statement said palliative care efforts should include strategies to improve communication about prognosis and care goals, navigate complex health systems, address psychosocial needs such as coping with loss, and prepare for death with end-of-life care when necessary. The statement also highlights the need to reduce sociodemographic and regional care disparities. The statement suggests a holistic approach to palliative care that goes beyond physical symptoms and pain to include emotional, psychosocial, spiritual and existential distress and takes the family's expectations, values and goals into consideration. How to Avoid Winter Weight Gain It highlights the importance of emotional, spiritual and psychosocial support in high-quality stroke care for survivors and their care partners. It also outlines the phases that follow a severe stroke, provides a palliative care checklist and screening tools to recognize and manage patient and family needs. "It's essential to recognize the impact of illness and disability on someone's quality of life and understand that treatment decisions will vary from patient to patient based on their values, their beliefs and their culture," Creutzfeldt said. "An individualized and culturally sensitive approach to assessment and management is always best." The care needs of survivors and their families or partners, she added, can change over time depending on events, symptoms, changes in function and the stage of the illness. There is limited research on palliative care for stroke survivors and wide variation in the type of care they receive, the statement notes. Important symptoms, such as pain, may be undertreated. For example, post-stroke pain may be greatest four to six months and two years following a stroke, but it is often underdiagnosed. Research shows up to 45% of stroke survivors leave the hospital with no plan for additional services, such as home health care or hospice services, and referrals for palliative care often don't occur until the end of life. Black and Hispanic people, who face disproportionately higher stroke rates and poorer outcomes, are less likely to receive acute treatments such as intravenous therapy or surgery to treat blood clots, the statement said. And they are substantially less likely than white people to have "do not resuscitate" orders or advance directives in place. Black, Hispanic and Asian stroke patients also are less likely to be discharged to hospice care than white patients. The statement noted that while some disparities may be attributed to cultural differences, other factors, such as the hospital where the patient was treated, have been associated with the likelihood of receiving palliative care, suggesting system-level inequities may play a role. A 2023 AHA scientific statement on ways to address racial and ethnic disparities in stroke treatment highlights the need to better understand how clinicians, hospitals, systems and others influence these care patterns and explores ways to correct them.

Cerebral haemorrhage is often referred to as intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) or hemorrhagic stroke. It is a critical medical condition characterised by bleeding within the brain tissue. This condition requires immediate medical attention. This article delves into some basic knowledge about ICH to ensure proper diagnosis and treatment.  What is Cerebral Haemorrhage? Cerebral haemorrhage or ICH, is a type of stroke that occurs when a blood vessel in the brain bursts and bleeds into the surrounding brain tissue. This bleeding disrupts the blood supply to the brain and damages brain cells. According to research, cerebral haemorrhage is the second most common cause of stroke. Research also shows that ICH is the deadliest type of stroke, with a mortality rate of around 40%-50% within the first month.  Read more: Why are Suicide Rates Higher Among Men? Types of Cerebral Haemorrhage . Intraparenchymal Haemorrhage Intraparenchymal haemorrhage (IPH) is a type of bleeding that occurs within the brain tissue. According to Wikipedia, IPH is the most common type and accounts for around 8-13% of all strokes and can arise from various underlying conditions. IPH may lead to death or significant disability This is why it is an urgent medical situation requiring immediate attention. Intraventricular Haemorrhage Intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH) is caused by bleeding in the ventricles, which are fluid-filled cavities in the brain. These produce and circulate cerebrospinal fluid, a protective cushion for the brain and spinal cord. It can arise from physical trauma or as a result of a hemorrhagic stroke. According to Wikipedia, around 30% of IVH cases are primary, while 70% are secondary. It has been observed that IVH occurs in approximately 35% of moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries. Consequently, IVH typically accompanies extensive associated damage, leading to unfavourable outcomes in most cases. Read more: Reasons Why Ramadan Fasting is More Beneficial Than Dieting What Causes Cerebral Haemorrhage . Head Trauma Head injuries from accidents or falls can damage blood vessels in the brain. It may lead to brain haemorrhage in individuals under the age of 50. High Blood Pressure Untreated hypertension can weaken blood vessel walls. It increases the likelihood of a brain haemorrhage.  Aneurysm  Abnormal bulges in blood vessel walls are known as aneurysms, which occur when blood vessel walls weaken and swell. It potentially leads to a burst and subsequent brain bleeding and can result in a stroke. Read more: Daily Strategies for Neuroplasticity: Enhancing Focus and Alleviating Anxiety Blood Vessel Abnormalities Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) cause weakness in blood vessels in and around the brain, often only detected when symptoms arise. Amyloid Angiopathy  This blood irregularity is typically seen in older adults with high blood pressure. It can lead to small unnoticed bleeds that may eventually result in a larger brain haemorrhage. Blood Disorders  Conditions like haemophilia and sickle cell anaemia contribute to lower blood platelet levels and clotting. These increase the risk of brain bleeds.  Blood Thinner While essential for some conditions, blood thinners can increase the risk of bleeding, including cerebral haemorrhage. Read more: Good Stress: What Are the Benefits of Eustress? Liver Disease People with liver conditions have an elevated risk of bleeding issues, including brain haemorrhage. Brain Tumours  Individuals with a history of brain tumours are at a heightened risk of developing cerebral haemorrhage. Symptoms and Signs of ICH Key symptoms of cerebral haemorrhage may include: - Sudden and severe headache- Nausea and vomiting- Weakness or paralysis on one side of the body- Difficulty speaking or understanding speech- Vision problems- Loss of consciousness- Seizures- Dizziness- Loss of coordination- Difficulty balancing- Abnormal sense of taste- Difficulty swallowing- Difficulty writing or reading- Loss of fine motor skills. Read more: Which Vitamins are Essential for Women? How to Diagnose and Treat ICH  To diagnose a brain bleed, a healthcare provider conducts an immediate physical and neurological examination, alongside reviewing the patient's medical history and symptoms. Following this, they may order imaging tests such as a CT scan, MRI, or MRA to assess the location, extent, and potential cause of the bleeding.  Additional tests, including an electroencephalogram, chest X-ray, urinalysis, complete blood count (CBC), eye exam, lumbar puncture (spinal tap), or angiography, may also be utilised to detect underlying causes.  The treatment for a brain bleed varies depending on the severity and location of the bleed. Healthcare providers strive to halt the bleeding and tackle the root cause. Treatment options may encompass surgery and medication.  Prompt medical intervention can minimise brain damage, enhancing the prospects of recovery. Additionally, patients may receive supplemental oxygen through a ventilator, nutrients and fluids intravenously or via a feeding tube, and close monitoring in an intensive care unit to ensure stable vital signs.  Read more: How to Improve Focus by Training the ‘Attention Muscle’

Driver of a fire service truck had a stroke while behind the wheel and died, causing a collision with a rickshaw and two other vehicles, leaving the rickshaw-puller dead and eight people injured at Chashara crossing of Narayanganj earlier today (July 24, 2023). The fire service truck driver was identified as Jahangir Hossain, while identities of the deceased rickshaw-puller and the injured could not be known immediately. Read: 9th grader killed in road accident in capital Fakhruddin, deputy director of Narayanganj Fire Service and Civil Defence, confirmed the death of Jahangir, saying that a civilian was also killed when the fire service truck hit a rickshaw and two other vehicles after the driver died behind the wheel. Aktaruzzaman, deputy director of Fire Service Headquarters in Dhaka, said a rickshaw, a bus, and a private car were hit by the fire service vehicle when driver Jahangir suffered a stroke on the way to a fire incident in Fatullah. Read: 39 killed as fire rips through launch off Jhalokati coast Md Bachhu Miah, inspector of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) police outpost, said two of the injured were admitted to the hospital, where they are undergoing treatment, and the rest are at several hospitals in Narayanganj. Anisur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Narayanganj Model Police Station, said a fire broke out at a factory in Fatuallah’s BSCIC area in the morning. The fire service truck was going there. The accident happened around 10:30 am when the fire service vehicle hit the bus, private car, and rickshaw. Read more: 1 killed in road accident in Khulna

Older adults without heart disease shouldn't take daily low-dose aspirin to prevent a first heart attack or stroke, an influential health guidelines group said in preliminary updated advice released Tuesday. Bleeding risks for adults in their 60s and up who haven't had a heart attack or stroke outweigh any potential benefits from aspirin, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said in its draft guidance. For the first time, the panel said there may be a small benefit for adults in their 40s who have no bleeding risks. For those in their 50s, the panel softened advice and said evidence of benefit is less clear. The recommendations are meant for people with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity or other conditions that increase their chances for a heart attack or stroke. Regardless of age, adults should talk with their doctors about stopping or starting aspirin to make sure it's the right choice for them, said task force member Dr. John Wong, a primary-care expert at Tufts Medical Center. "Aspirin use can cause serious harms, and risk increases with age,'' he said. Read: Eating chili peppers may prevent fatal heart attacks and stroke If finalized, the advice for older adults would backtrack on recommendations the panel issued in 2016 for helping prevent a first heart attack and stroke, but it would be in line with more recent guidelines from other medical groups. Doctors have long recommended daily low-dose aspirin for many patients who already have had a heart attack or stroke. The task force guidance does not change that advice. The task force previously said a daily aspirin might also protect against colorectal cancer for some adults in their 50s and 60s, but the updated guidance says more evidence of any benefit is needed. The guidance was posted online to allow for public comments until Nov. 8. The group will evaluate that input and then make a final decision. The independent panel of disease-prevention experts analyzes medical research and literature and issues periodic advice on measures to help keep Americans healthy. Newer studies and a re-analysis of older research prompted the updated advice, Wong said. Aspirin is best known as a pain reliever but it is also a blood thinner that can reduce chances for blood clots. But aspirin also has risks, even at low doses — mainly bleeding in the digestive tract or ulcers, both of which can be life-threatening. Dr. Lauren Block, an internist-researcher at Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research in Manhasset, New York, said the guidance is important because so many adults take aspirin even though they have never had a heart attack or stroke. Read: Millions should stop taking aspirin for heart health Block, who is not on the task force, recently switched one of her patients from aspirin to a cholesterol-lowering statin drug because of the potential harms. The patient, 70-year-old Richard Schrafel, has high blood pressure and knows about his heart attack risks. Schrafel, president of a paperboard-distribution business, said he never had any ill effects from aspirin, but he is taking the new guidance seriously. Rita Seefeldt, 63, also has high blood pressure and took a daily aspirin for about a decade until her doctor told her two years ago to stop. "He said they changed their minds on that,'' recalled the retired elementary school teacher from Milwaukee. She said she understands that science evolves. Wong acknowledged that the backtracking might leave some patients frustrated and wondering why scientists can't make up their minds. "It's a fair question,'' he said. ''What's really important to know is that evidence changes over time.''

Long working hours led to 745 000 deaths from stroke and ischemic heart disease in 2016, a 29 per cent increase since 2000, say the latest estimates on Monday (May 17, 2021). The latest estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) were published in Environment International on Monday.  In a first global analysis of the loss of life and health associated with working long hours, WHO and ILO estimate that, in 2016, 398 000 people died from stroke and 347 000 from heart disease as a result of having worked at least 55 hours a week. Read Create more overseas jobs for female workers: Speakers Between 2000 and 2016, the number of deaths from heart disease due to working long hours increased by 42%, and from stroke by 19%. This work-related disease burden is particularly significant in men (72% of deaths occurred among males), people living in the Western Pacific and South-East Asia regions, and middle-aged or older workers. Most of the deaths recorded were among people dying aged 60-79 years, who had worked for 55 hours or more per week between the ages of 45 and 74 years. Read: Indian COVID variant: Why is it more deadly? How is it affecting the neighboring countries? With working long hours now known to be responsible for about one-third of the total estimated work-related burden of disease, it is established as the risk factor with the largest occupational disease burden. This shifts thinking towards a relatively new and more psychosocial occupational risk factor to human health. The study concludes that working 55 or more hours per week is associated with an estimated 35% higher risk of a stroke and a 17% higher risk of dying from ischemic heart disease, compared to working 35-40 hours a week. Read: What does it feel like to get COVID-19 after taking the vaccine? Further, the number of people working long hours is increasing, and currently stands at 9% of the total population globally.  This trend puts even more people at risk of work-related disability and early death. The new analysis comes as the COVID-19 pandemic shines a spotlight on managing working hours; the pandemic is accelerating developments that could feed the trend towards increased working time. Read Uncertain, uneven recovery likely amid unprecedented labour market crisis: ILO “The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed the way many people work,“ said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. He said teleworking has become the norm in many industries, often blurring the boundaries between home and work. In addition, he said many businesses have been forced to scale back or shut down operations to save money, and people who are still on the payroll end up working longer hours. Read Homeworkers need to be better protected, says ILO  "No job is worth the risk of stroke or heart disease. Governments, employers and workers need to work together to agree on limits to protect the health of workers," said the WHO DG. “Working 55 hours or more per week is a serious health hazard,” added Dr Maria Neira, Director, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, at the World Health Organization. “It’s time that we all, governments, employers, and employees wake up to the fact that long working hours can lead to premature death”. Read Safe Lifestyle in COVID-19 Lockdown: Do's, Don'ts, and Precautions The WHO and ILO said Governments, employers and workers can take the following actions to protect workers’ health:   Governments can introduce, implement and enforce laws, regulations and policies that ban mandatory overtime and ensure maximum limits on working time; bipartite or collective bargaining agreements between employers and workers’ associations can arrange working time to be more flexible, while at the same time agreeing on a maximum number of working hours; and employees could share working hours to ensure that numbers of hours worked do not climb above 55 or more per week.   Read 81 million jobs lost as COVID-19 creates turmoil in Asia Pacific labour markets: ILO Two systematic reviews and meta-analyses of the latest evidence were conducted for this study. Data from 37 studies on ischemic heart disease covering more than 768 000 participants and 22 studies on stroke covering more than 839 000 participants were synthesized. The study covered global, regional and national levels, and was based on data from more than 2300 surveys collected in 154 countries from 1970-2018. Read ILO advocates better policies to protect workers & biz in the digital economy

Ailing ex-Health and Family Welfare Minister and Awami League leader Mohammad Nasim underwent a successful surgery on Friday after suffering a stroke, said Awami League office secretary Barrister Biplab Barua.   “Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina talked to Tanvir Shakil Joy, son Mohammad Nasim, over phone. His family members sought doa from the people of the country for his recovery,” Biplab Barua said in a facebook post.   Earlier,  the condition of AL presidium member Mohammad Nasim deteriorated following a stoke while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in the city.   Director and CEO of Bangladesh Specialised Hospital in Shyamoli, Imran Chowdhury, said, “The Awami League leader suffered a stroke around 5 am on Friday. He is undergoing a surgery under Dr Rabiul Haque, chief of Neurosurgery Department of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital.”.   Also Read - Ex-Health Minister Nasim tests positive for Covid-19 after hospitalisation

A student of Jagannath University (JnU) died of stroke at Auria village in Nesarabad upazila of Pirojpur early Friday.   The deceased was identified as Sabit Hasan Masum, a Master’s student of Statistics department of the university.   Masum suffered a stroke at his residence around 4am, his relatives said.