DUBAI // Three new stroke units to open by next year will help doctors to improve the chances of recovery for patients.
Two will be in Abu Dhabi and the third in Dubai, where Rashid Hospital has the only dedicated all-hours stroke unit.
From its establishment in early 2012 until the end of 2013, more than 600 patients were admitted. Last year the figure exceeded 700.
"Stroke awareness in the UAE is particularly important," said Dr Suhail Al Rukn, head of the Rashid Hospital unit.
"Fifty per cent of the stroke patients in the UAE are below the age of 45 years, as compared to the global average where 80 per cent of stroke patients are above the age of 65 years.
"For the UAE, this is an alarming statistic and calls for urgent lifestyle changes and increase in awareness.
"Every hospital has an emergency department. Everything was already there, so it just needed re-organising."
Fast action after a stroke is crucial for recovery.
For every minute after a stroke, two million brain cells, or neurons, are lost. The effect is crippling brain damage.
But if the right drugs are administered within the first three hours, the chance of recovery is considerably greater.
A stroke occurs when the blood supply to the brain is interrupted or reduced, depriving it of oxygen and nutrients and causing brain cells to die.
Risk factors include high blood pressure, diabetes, being overweight or obese, physical inactivity and heavy drinking.
Doctors want this pilot stroke unit project extended across the region, as the unit at Rashid Hospital has experienced lower mortality rates and improved recovery rates.
"There are double the number of people dying of strokes than breast cancer, yet it does not get the same publicity," Dr Al Rukn said.
"After road traffic accidents, strokes are the number one killer in our region. It is a huge burden."
The new units aim to reduce the burden of stroke disabilities in communities by improving the level and speed of care.
"Swift assistance is key to reducing disability of stroke patients," said Dr Nagi Moussa, head of neurology at Al Ain Hospital. "Stroke symptoms are not to be taken casually and people must seek instantaneous medical assistance.
"A quick assessment can be made when the warning signs are easily identified, then the right treatment can be given."
Indicators of a stroke include a facial drooping, arm weakness or speech difficulties, with time the crucial factor in treatment.
It is hoped that all hospitals in the region will soon be "stroke ready".
The Stroke Association says women who take even low-oestrogen birth control tablets may be twice as likely to have a stroke than those who are not on the pill, and the risk may increase if there are other risk factors.
And women on hormone replacement therapy may have a slightly increased stroke risk.
"It is recommended that women be screened for high blood pressure before starting on the pill," said Dr Zaibunnisa Khan, specialist registrar in the neurology department at Rashid Hospital.
"Users of oral contraceptives who have one or more additional risk factors for stroke, such as hypertension or obesity, should pursue treatment of those risk factors while on the pill.
"As long as other risk factors are under control or not present, women can continue taking oral contraceptive pills in consultation with their gynaecologist.
"Women on oral contraceptive pills should be well hydrated. They are also more prone to weight gain, therefore they should exercise regularly and maintain a healthy diet to avoid the risk of stroke."
nwebster@thenational.ae
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
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Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
