A Senior Physician Specialist at the 37 Military Hospital, Dr Thomas Agbemaple, has linked a significant proportion of stroke cases to lifestyle-related factors, particularly unhealthy dietary habits.
According to him, about eight out of every 10 people who suffer a stroke experience an ischaemic stroke, which occurs when a blood vessel supplying the brain becomes blocked.
Speaking on Accra-based Citi FM, Dr Agbemaple explained that stroke is broadly classified into two major types: haemorrhagic and ischaemic.
He said a haemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel in the brain ruptures, while an ischaemic stroke happens when a blood vessel becomes blocked, restricting blood flow to part of the brain.
“There are two types of stroke. There is a stroke resulting from a blood vessel rupturing called haemorrhagic stroke, and there is stroke resulting from a blood vessel being blocked called ischaemic stroke,” he explained.
“Now, eight out of 10 people who have a stroke will have an ischaemic stroke, that is, blood clotting in the vessels,” he added.
Dr Agbemaple attributed the increasing prevalence of ischaemic stroke partly to the accumulation of cholesterol along the walls of blood vessels, which he said is influenced by dietary choices.
“Ischaemic stroke is cholesterol deposition in the walls of the blood vessels, and this is a lifestyle problem. The cholesterol comes from oils and fats in your diet,” he said.
He expressed concern about the increasing consumption of foods high in fats and oils, particularly fried foods, saying such dietary patterns could contribute to cholesterol build-up in blood vessels.
“Our diets these days have been increasingly westernised with high oil and fat content, so the incidence of cholesterol deposition in the walls of the blood vessels is now increasing at alarming rates,” he said.
“People’s diets are now heavily laden with fats and oils. We eat a lot of fried foods,” he added.
Dr Agbemaple cautioned the public to adopt healthier dietary and lifestyle habits as part of efforts to reduce some of the risk factors associated with stroke.
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