Business: Zerodha CEO Nitin Kamath has given a serious warning to the youth while sharing his stroke experience. He said that it is very important to reach the hospital as soon as the symptoms of stroke appear, because the golden hour for treatment is only 4.5 hours.

Kamath said that after suffering a stroke in January, he initially took it lightly and hoped to recover by taking rest. He wrote that if I had done anything different at that time, it would have been to go straight to the hospital and not try to sleep.

Nothing will happen to me attitude is dangerous
He acknowledged that the attitude of ‘nothing will happen to me’ was the reason for the delay, and this thinking is especially common among those under 50 years of age. He said that in the last few years, the number of stroke cases among people between 30 and 50 years has reached almost 30 percent.

What do you understand by stroke?
Stroke is a medical emergency that occurs when blood flow to part of the brain stops. This is a very serious condition and can lead to permanent brain damage, disability, or death.

The treatment time period after stroke is very short.
The healing time after a stroke is very short. Typically, the first 4.5 hours for intravenous thrombolysis (blood-clot-dissolving injection) and approximately 6 hours for mechanical thrombectomy (the process of removing the clot through a catheter) are considered optimal.

The medical adage ‘Time means brain’ reflects the fact that the longer treatment is delayed, the more brain damage will occur, increasing the risk of paralysis, speech or memory problems, or death. Getting treatment early can save your life and increase your chances of a better recovery.

Reach hospital within golden hour
Analysis shows that less than half of stroke patients reach hospital within this golden hour. Doctors say that the longer the treatment is delayed, the more brain cells will be destroyed. If patients arrive at the hospital outside this time frame, they can still receive treatment but recovery will not be as fast or effective as before.

Number of strokes increasing among youth due to poor lifestyle
The number of strokes among youth has increased in recent years. The reasons behind this are believed to be lifestyle-related factors like high blood pressure, diabetes, inactive lifestyle, excessive stress, lack of sleep, smoking and alcohol consumption.

Experts say that about 60% of stroke patients and the younger generation do not know how important immediate treatment is at the time of stroke. The theme of this year’s World Stroke Day is ‘Every minute is precious’. Therefore, if someone sees symptoms of stroke like sudden weakness of arms and legs, tilt of face, difficulty while speaking, then they should immediately go to the hospital. If patients are able to walk, use their own vehicles, auto-rickshaws or cabs; only those with critical conditions or senior citizens should wait for an ambulance.