In Ukraine, there is a sharp increase in the number of strokes caused by arterial hypertension, which is provoked by stressful situations. Doctors already call this tendency a "war" disease. According to Maria Prokopiv, head of the Department of Neurology at Bogomolets Kyiv National University, the stress accompanying the war significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases, including strokes.
"Ambulances deliver more and more patients," Prokopiv said in her interview for Glavkom. According to her, since the beginning of the war, the number of cases has increased when people do not wait for improvement and do not go to clinics, but immediately call an ambulance. This fact has a positive effect, because the "ambulance" can diagnose a stroke on the spot and deliver the patient to the hospital in time, which significantly improves the chances of recovery. In particular, the number of cases where patients are admitted to the hospital within the therapeutic window, i.e. within 4.5 hours after a stroke, has increased by 20%.
However, doctors also record an increase in the number of late applications. Such patients have much worse prognoses, since later treatment significantly complicates the recovery process and increases the risk of death. It is particularly alarming that some people refuse hospitalization, even when it is critically necessary. The percentage of such cases is growing and currently amounts to 13.2%.
Specialists pay particular attention to the role of stress in the development of strokes. According to Prokopiv, stress causes a sharp increase in blood pressure, which, in turn, can lead to a stroke. The condition, which doctors define as stress-induced arterial hypertension, is becoming more and more common among Ukrainians, especially against the background of war events. If by 2022 only 33% of patients complained of severe stress, now this indicator has increased to 42.5%.
Among the risk factors for strokes, hypertension is in the first place. Therefore, doctors emphasize the need to control the level of blood pressure, especially in people who are in stressful situations, and also consult doctors at the first symptoms of diseases.
