16000 new cases of stroke reported in Nigeria annually

Mrs Gloria Ekeng, Founder, Stroke Care International, on Wednesday said that Nigeria had over 16000 new stroke cases annually. Ekeng disclosed this in an interview on the sidelines of a walk and screening exercise hosted by the organisation to mark the World Stroke Day. She said that in reality, without proper data, it was impossible to know the exact amount of stroke cases that occurred in the country every year. “The estimate is between 40 to 60 per cent, our data is incomplete because we do not have information on stroke cases in the villages and rural areas generally,” she said. She said that most people have failed to realise that stroke was a medical condition, saying that many have continued to blame it on witchcraft and curses. “Lack of education, not in terms of academic learning but in terms of awareness about stroke, has contributed to the growing incidence of stroke in the country. “People do not realise that stroke is a medical emergency or that it could be prevented,” she said. Ekeng said that the warning signs of stroke include persistent headaches that did not respond to painkillers and weakness or heaviness in certain parts of the body. She also identified obscured and blurred vision as other warning signs of stroke. According to Ekeng, people whose blood pressure was terribly high had a serious risk of hemorrhagic stroke. - See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/10/16000-new-cases-stroke-reported-nigeria-annually/#sthash.J26EXtJ7.dpuf