UAE: Kids as young as 3 should learn how to spot a stroke, says doctor

Children as young as three and four should be taught how to recognise the , according to a top doctor in the UAE. This could increase awareness about the disease and ensure that victims get treatment during the 'golden hour' that dramatically increases the chances of survival.

“It should be part of their curriculum in the school,” Dr Suhail Abdulla AlRukn, President of the MENA Stroke Organisation, told Khaleej Times. “Kindergarten and primary school should teach . If children see their family members having one, they can become heroes who help them get the right treatment. It can be part of their education to have one or two classes per year about the symptoms of a stroke. That message will then go directly, and indirectly, into the community and to every house.”

Dr Suhail Abdulla AlRukn

Dr Suhail was speaking on the sidelines of an event to raise — in partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim (BI), who said they are bringing a new stroke medication to UAE.

Dr Suhail added that it was important for people to remember the acronym BEFAST to recognise a stroke. “Once these signs are spotted, an ambulance should be called by dialing 998,” he said. “It is important that the person is taken to a stroke specialist centre in the UAE, so as not to waste time. Emergency responders will know which is the nearest hospital to transport the patient to.”

Timely intervention

The golden hour for a stroke is considered to be the first hour because if treatment is administered within that time, there is a higher chance of survival. However, Dr Suhail said that many people do not understand the urgency of it.

“Last week, I had a 59-year-old Indian stroke patient,” he said. “Her sister came with her and when I outlined the plan, she said she had to call her brother-in-law and her sister’s children to discuss the treatment and then take a decision. This doesn’t work for a stroke patient.”

He also highlighted that it was important to reduce the intake of salt to reduce the incidence of a stroke. “Seventy per cent of stroke victims have high blood pressure,” he said. “Salt is one of the reasons for high blood pressure. People should have only 1.2 grams per day, which is equal to one portion of a pizza.”

He added that it was important for health authorities to highlight the amount of salt on labels of food items. 

Life-saving treatment

For Ahmed Nawazy, timely treatment is what made the difference between life and death. In 2017, the then 27-year-old had just moved to Dubai from his hometown in Egypt to join a company in a senior position.

Within months of arriving, he suffered a stroke while bathing his seven and five-year-old daughters. “My wife had seen her grandmother suffer a stroke, so she immediately knew what was happening,” he said. “She called the ambulance and I was rushed to a stroke specialist hospital where I got life-saving treatment.”

He said he got immense support from his company, who gave him extended sick leave and then lighter work load as he made a full recovery from the incident. Today, Ahmed is doing better than ever and has had a son since. “It was the timely medical attention that helped me rebuild my life,” he said.

Ousama Al Haj of BI said: “This year we're giving special focus to raising awareness because we brought a new medication to the UAE. We are empowering people to act, recover, and take action. In the case of a stroke, the earlier the intervention, the better it is.”