Every hour, one person gets a stroke in the UAE

Almost 8,000 people are admitted to hospitals across the UAE every year because of a stroke.

DUBAI // Someone in the UAE will suffer a stroke every hour because of a high prevalence of obesity, diabetes, hypertension and a sedentary lifestyle, statistics have revealed.

Almost 8,000 people are admitted to hospitals across the emirate every year because of a stroke and the average patient is aged 45 – about 20 years earlier than the worldwide average, according to figures released by the stroke unit at Rashid hospital in Dubai.

“Unfortunately in the UAE stroke patients are much younger than those in western countries,” said Dr Suhail Al Rukn, the head of the unit.

“The reasons for people getting a stroke at such a young age in the UAE is multifactorial – a high percentage of our population suffers from diabetes and hypertension. Obesity is huge problem in our population and so is sedentary lifestyle – all these are triggers that can lead to a stroke.”

Stroke is third leading cause of death in the world. In the UAE, after road accidents, it is the second leading cause of disability, said Dr Al Rukn.

Dr Al Rukn said the first four and a half hours following a stroke are most crucial.

“The thing about strokes is that it occurs suddenly and the damage takes place very quickly, the longer it takes a person to get medical assistance, the more brain damage,” he said.

Therefore it is vital people to spot the symptoms to look out for, he said.

These include slurred speech, facial weakness or a loss of strength on one side of the body.