A stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is interrupted. The interruption
may be due to build-up of fatty deposits on the inner walls of the blood vessels that
supply blood to the brain (atherosclerosis and thrombosis), bleeding from a brain blood
vessel (haemorrhage) or a blood clot that travels to the brain from a different part of the
body (embolus). Cerebral thrombosis, cerebral haemorrhage and cerebral embolism are
the three medical terms used to describe these three subtypes of stroke. Common
symptoms of stroke include sudden weakness of the face, arm or leg, most often on one
side of the body. Tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, physical inactivity, unhealthy
diet and air pollution are the main risk factors of atherosclerosis that lead to stroke.
Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) (strokes, heart attacks, diabetes, cancer and
chronic respiratory disease) share the same risk factors. Long-term exposure to these
risk factors also cause raised blood pressure, diabetes and raised blood lipids, which
increase the risk of developing strokes. The more risk factors a person has, the greater
is the risk of stroke. Nearly two thirds of individuals who develop a stroke die or are
disabled. After a first attack of stroke, medicines are required to prevent repeated
attacks. Strokes are preventable if individual action is supported by health policies that
reduce exposure of people to risk factors. Governments and political leaders have a
vital role to play in the prevention of stroke and other NCDs through the
implementation of public health policies to control tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol,
unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and air pollution.
Keywords: Air pollution, Harmful use of alcohol, Heart attacks, Noncommunicable
diseases (NCDs), Physical inactivity, Stroke, Tobacco use,
Unhealthy diet.
