Distinguishing between drunkenness and stroke

A case being treated by doctors at Phu Tho Provincial General Hospital has raised an alarm about the risk of confusing the symptoms of alcohol intoxication with those of a stroke.

A 41-year-old South Korean man experienced a dangerous situation when he assumed that symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, lightheadedness, and nausea after drinking alcohol were simply due to intoxication.

Symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, and nausea can be signs of many different medical conditions, not just stroke.

Initially, patients experience headaches, dizziness, nausea, difficulty speaking, and loss of balance after drinking alcohol.

Thinking he was just drunk, the man decided to rest at home. However, the next morning, his condition worsened with symptoms of numbness in his limbs and inability to walk. He was immediately taken to Phu Tho Provincial General Hospital for examination.

At the stroke center, doctors found the patient to have nystagmus, double vision, and numbness or weakness on the right side of the body. A cranial MRI revealed a cerebral infarction in the right medulla oblongata, caused by a blockage of a small branch of the cerebral circulation.

The patient was diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke of the right brainstem and received medical treatment with antiplatelet, lipid-lowering, and brain cell-protective medications. After 4 days of treatment, the patient's condition improved significantly.

Dr. Pham Thi Thanh Loan from the Stroke Center explained that ischemic stroke occurs when a blood clot blocks an artery supplying blood to the brain. This can lead to dangerous complications such as hemiplegia, vegetative state, or even death.

Dr. Pham Thi Thanh Loan emphasized the importance of the "golden hour" in stroke emergency care: the ideal timeframe for intervention and treatment of ischemic stroke is within the first 3-4.5 hours from the onset of the first symptoms. Treatment within this golden hour can minimize complications and increase the chances of recovery for patients.

However, Dr. Pham Thi Thanh Loan also noted that symptoms such as headache, dizziness, and nausea can be signs of many different medical conditions, not just stroke.

This can lead to complacency and missing the golden window for treatment. Therefore, doctors recommend that if you experience unusual symptoms like those mentioned above, especially after drinking alcohol, you should immediately go to the nearest medical facility with a stroke treatment specialist for examination and timely intervention.

Recently, there have been many young people suffering strokes, most of whom are unaware of their underlying conditions or prior warning signs. According to doctors, the rate of severe strokes and the younger age of onset have tended to increase recently.

Young people are the main workforce of their families and society, but statistics show that up to 70% of stroke patients experience impaired ability to work.

Several factors can contribute to strokes in young people, including: substance abuse such as alcohol, tobacco, and e-cigarettes; being overweight or obese; lack of physical activity; insufficient awareness of health protection; and a relatively stressful social life with pressure and tension in work and life. All of these are risk factors that increase the risk of stroke in young people.

According to Dr. Nguyen Tien Dung, Deputy Director of the Stroke Center at Bach Mai Hospital, the Stroke Center receives an average of 50-60 severe and complex stroke cases per day, transferred from satellite hospitals due to the limitations of local facilities and the difficult prognosis.

Stroke cases in young people (45 years old and under) have tended to increase in recent years, accounting for about 15% of the total cases received by the Center. Notably, the Center has received stroke patients who were very young, only 15-16 years old, and even a 6-year-old who suffered a stroke.

This patient was admitted to the emergency room with a brain hemorrhage due to a cerebral arteriovenous malformation. After initial treatment and stabilization, the child was transferred to the pediatric intensive care unit, where the prognosis was difficult.

Or consider the case of a 16-year-old who suffered a stroke; upon admission to the hospital, the cause was discovered to be cardiovascular, meaning they had pre-existing conditions that went unnoticed, leading to the stroke.

Most recently, the center received a 43-year-old patient from Lac Thuy, Hoa Binh, who had underlying health conditions but was unaware of them because they had not had a health check-up previously.

However, the patient was fortunate to be diagnosed and brought to the hospital during the "golden hour." The diagnosis revealed acute ischemic stroke due to occlusion of the basilar artery – a large cerebral artery that supplies a vital central region of the brain.

There are young patients who have been diagnosed with high blood pressure for many years but do not seek treatment or take medication because they feel perfectly normal. Only when they suffer a stroke and are admitted to the emergency room, requiring mechanical ventilation and resulting in hemiplegia with difficulty recovering, do they regret their decision.

Cases of young people suffering strokes show that young people often underestimate or rarely monitor their blood pressure, thinking that because they are young they have good tolerance.

In addition, many people are sedentary, overweight, obese, unwilling to exercise, or eat fast food, stay up late, and experience work stress—all risk factors that are often overlooked.

In particular, many people think they are young and healthy, so they don't get health checkups. Only when they suffer a stroke and are hospitalized do they discover they have underlying conditions such as high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

If these underlying conditions are not detected early, examined, and treated properly, they will eventually flare up and, combined with other factors, lead to stroke.

According to doctors at Bach Mai Hospital, there are two types of stroke: ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke. Ischemic stroke occurs when a blood vessel is blocked by a blood clot, preventing the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the corresponding brain cells. These brain cells die, leading to the loss of functions such as motor control, cognition, learning, and language.

Brain hemorrhage occurs when a blood vessel in the brain ruptures, which can be caused by cerebral vascular malformations (common in young people) and by hypertension that is not regularly or properly treated.

In young people, the most common causes of cerebral hemorrhage are cerebral arteriovenous malformations and cerebral aneurysms. In clinical practice, the majority of strokes are ischemic strokes, accounting for nearly 80%, and hemorrhagic strokes account for about 20%.

Young people who suffer a stroke and do not receive emergency care within the "golden hour" (the first 4.5 hours after stroke symptoms appear), if detected and treated late, have very difficult chances of recovery. Many become disabled, affecting themselves due to the loss of the ability to care for themselves, and in more severe cases, they lose their ability to work, becoming bedridden and a burden to their families and society.

According to Dr. Nguyen Tien Dung, the most important thing in treating stroke is recognizing the early signs. The first sign is the letter F (in the face). Looking at the patient's face, if the corners of the mouth are crooked or droopy when speaking or smiling, or if the mouth waters when drinking, then a stroke should be suspected.

Secondly, the letter A (right or left arm/leg) is weak, paralyzed, or numb. Thirdly, the letter S (language, speech) is more difficult than usual to speak, has difficulty speaking, or is unable to speak at all.

These are three typical and very common signs; when these signs appear, you should immediately consider the possibility of a stroke.

Time plays a crucial role in stroke treatment. Patients and their families must accurately determine the exact time the patient experiences stroke symptoms. Accurate identification of this time frame determines whether the patient is still within the "golden hour," allowing doctors to develop the most effective emergency strategy and treatment plan to maximize the chances of recovery.

Therefore, if you have these three signs, don't hesitate, don't try to monitor the situation, and don't try folk remedies like applying lime to your palms and soles, pricking your earlobes, pricking your fingertips or toes to draw blood, or lying still and monitoring at home...

These are all incorrect actions that can harm the patient, hinder, and negatively impact the doctor's treatment process. Instead, call an ambulance to take the patient to the nearest medical facility capable of treating stroke as soon as possible, as this will maximize the chances of recovery.

For stroke cases, when there are suspicious signs, patients should be taken to the nearest medical facility, especially those with risk factors such as old age, hypertension, diabetes, etc.

To prevent stroke, people must know how to recognize stroke symptoms, pay attention to their bodies, remember stroke signs, and if they suspect they are having a stroke, they must act quickly and without delay go to the hospital immediately.

In addition, people should listen to their bodies and manage underlying health conditions. Young people should balance their lives, increase physical activity, maintain an ideal weight, avoid stimulants and e-cigarettes, and have regular health checkups to detect any illnesses early and develop an optimal treatment plan.

When you have underlying health conditions, regular check-ups are necessary so that your doctor can adjust your medication dosage to achieve your treatment goals, especially if you have previously had a stroke.