An emergency medical services company in KwaZulu-Natal says it has seen a significant increase in the number of stroke cases in the past two years since the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, but suggested this might be due to public awareness programmes.
Nicola Lester, operational manager of Netcare 911 KZN, said it was unclear if the increase was linked to Covid, or a result of public education campaigns.
SABC News reports that Netcare 911 KZN has become the first emergency medical service in South Africa to receive a gold award in the international Angels Awards – meaning it meets certain standards in the treatment of strokes.
Lester said there were several possibilities for the rise observed in stroke cases. “Change in lifestyle could be a large factor if people are now living a more sedentary lifestyle. Change in dietary habits as well, whether that is due to Covid or recession… and maybe a lack of face-to face contact with GPs and less regular doctors’ visits. Fewer medical check-ups might also play a role.”
President of the Neurological Association of South Africa Dr Patty Francis said there was good reason why stroke was known as the silent killer.
“Hypertension is the leading cause of stroke worldwide. It’s asymptomatic unless blood pressure reaches levels above 160, where patients may develop some type of headache or some type of dizziness. And above 180-ish they start to develop a very severe headache. So patients with headaches should consider checking their blood pressure. But people don’t do that.”
SABC News article – Significant increase in number of stroke cases reported in KZN (Open access)
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