Mozambique: Strokes rising among teens, young adults: Nampula hospital – Watch

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Mozambique: Strokes rising among teens, young adults: Nampula hospital – Watch

9:34 CAT | 07 Jun 2023

Cerebrovascular accidents (stroke) constitute a global health epidemic and a leading cause of sustained disability and mortality [Screen grab: TVM]

By the end of May, 68 victims of Cerebral Vascular Accident (CVA – ‘stroke’) had been admitted to the Central Hospital of Nampula (HCN) by the end of May. Of this number, most are young people between 18 and 30 years old.

In the last two weeks alone, 18 young people have been admitted as ‘stroke’ victims.

“The number of patients, especially young people, who are admitted to this health unit with a stroke is quite worrying. We receive an average of two patients per week, and most of them are male,” HCN neurologist Frederico Sebastião told the press last week.

He explained that the disease is caused by excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages, smoking, among other things. Sebastião also said that patients with hypertension are more likely to have a stroke, especially in cold weather.

Cerebrovascular accidents are usually associated with age, Sebastião said, but recently the disease has tended to affect younger people as well.

World Health Organization (WHO) figures indicate that around 15 million people worldwide suffer a stroke annually.

In addition to Nampula, Maputo city’s Central and Mavalane Hospitals registered an average of 10 to 15 stroke patients per day respectively in February this year.

Watch the TVM report.