The 29th of October each year is established as World Stroke Day. Designed to draw attention to the high rates and serious nature of strokes, the day also helps to raise awareness about how the condition can be prevented and treated, ensuring that stroke survivors receive the best support and care.
Under the direction of Doctor Vladimir Hachinski, the first annual observation of World Stroke Day took place in 2006 by the World Stroke Organisation (WSO), which in 2010 declared stroke to be a 'public health emergency'. Globally, stroke is the largest cause of disability and is the second-largest cause of death. The WSO estimates the individual risk of a person having a stroke in their life to be one in four.
On World Stroke Day each year, many individuals and organisations facilitate and take part in a variety of events with the aim of emphasising initiatives and education that will help to improve patient outcomes around the world. As part of the WSO's ongoing World Stroke Campaign, the day is supported by numerous goodwill ambassadors including Alberto Contador (cyclist), Sunil Gavaskar (cricketer) and Dalia El Behery (former Miss Egypt).
A stroke occurs due to inadequate blood flow to the brain, leading to cell death. The condition can be ischemic (caused by a lack of blood flow) or haemorrhagic (caused by bleeding). Symptoms include loss of movement and/or feeling on one side of the body, dizziness, headache, loss of vision and problems with speech or understanding. Where these symptoms last less than one or two hours, the condition is called a transient ischemic attack (TIA), commonly referred to as a 'mini-stroke'.
The primary risk factor for the occurrence of a stroke is elevated blood pressure. There are a number of other risk factors which include atrial fibrillation, late-stage kidney disease, diabetes, obesity, tobacco smoking and high levels of blood cholesterol.
A stroke can cause several lasting effects in survivors
These include problems with speech, apraxia and loss of vision along with pain, weakness and numbness in affected muscles. Such issues can obviously interfere with the ability to carry out daily activities.
Wearing dynamic compression garments, particularly gloves, gauntlets and sleeves, provides prescribed therapeutic pressure that is widely considered to be medically effective. Made-to-measure SDO® Original garments by Medigarments Ltd are ideal for helping stroke survivors to manage their symptoms. Garments from the SDO® Lite collection can be used to assess whether a made to measure garment from the SDO® Original collection will be suitable.
Find out more details about SDO® Original and SDO® Lite dynamic Lycra® collections on the Jobskin® website. Get in touch with our dedicated team if you need any further advice or information. If you would like to receive more articles from this blog series, along with lots of other news, updates and information from Medigarments Ltd, please subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
