The “World Brain Week” has started, an annual initiative created by the Italian Society of Neurology (SIN) which aims to raise public awareness on the prevention and fight against all neurological diseases , at the same time informing about important progress that scientific research is achieving.
“The seasons of the brain” is the theme chosen for the 2022 edition and ALICe. Italia Odv, Association for the fight against cerebral stroke, once again this year joins this important initiative, underlining once again how important it is to be active in protecting one’s health from an early ageand have a greater awareness of the main risk factors to prevent the onset of cerebrocardiovascular diseases. Stroke affects more and more young people
. Stroke of the brain, which is more frequent after the age of 55, is often considered a disease that affects only the elderly. It is true: the probability of disease increases with increasing age (75% of strokes occur in people over 65), but more and more often young people are also affected .
“Advanced age remains one of the main non-modifiable risk factors – declares prof. Danilo Toni, Director of the Neurovascular Treatment Unit at Policlinico Umberto I in Rome and President of the Technical-Scientific Committee of ALICe. Italy Odv – However, it is estimated that, in our country, about 12 thousand subjects under the age of 55 are affected by this disease every year: the younger age group tends to be more and more at risk because predisposing conditions are increasingly widespread such as arterial hypertension, diabetes, obesity, sedentariness and poor diet “. Also to blame for alcohol and drugs
In addition, the significant increase that has been found in recent years, especially in people under 45, must certainly also be attributed to a greater diffusion of alcohol and drugs : the excessive use of alcohol and spirits represents a risk factor for both ischemic and haemorrhagic strokes, increasing the probability of run into an episode of cerebrovascular disease, but it can also be a precipitating factor, determining the onset of the acute event, for example during binge drinking, perhaps at the weekend. The determining role of prevention
«As always, prevention plays a decisive role, and a key elementwhich must be pursued from the youngest age – continues prof. Toni – It is necessary to concentrate your efforts to follow a healthy lifestyle, in which there is ample space for proper nutrition and constant physical activity, keeping under control all those risk factors that can lead to cerebro-cardiovascular diseases. It is also really important to undergo periodic medical checks, which must be adjusted over the years “. World Brain Week
«On the occasion of World Brain Week – declares Andrea Vianello, President of ALICe. Italia Odv – our Association intends to reiterate that following small precautionsit can help protect your brain, in all its “seasons”. Adopting healthy lifestyles from an early age also means keeping your brain healthy and in good cognitive condition and reaching adulthood with a lower risk profile ».
For more information and insights: www.aliceitalia.org. ALICe. Italy Odvand a Federation of voluntary associations spread throughout the national territory, over 80 between regional and local offices and sections, non-profit, democratic, apolitical which, while autonomous and independent in their activities, collaborate to achieve common statutory objectives at a national level, including: disseminating information on the curability of the disease, on the timely recognition of the first symptoms and on the conditions that favor its onset also through the media; urge health planning officers to establish specialized centers for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of people affected by stroke and to implement concrete screening projects;
Their peculiarity is that of being the only ones to be made up of people affected by stroke, their family members and caregivers, neurologists and doctors expert in the diagnosis and treatment of stroke, family doctors, physiatrists, nurses, rehabilitation therapists, social and health personnel and volunteers.
ALICe. Italy and member of the WSO, World Stroke Organization and of SAFE, Stroke Alliance for Europe, organizations that bring together the Associations of people affected by stroke at world and European level, disseminating guidelines for the prevention, best care and rehabilitation of stroke , as well as the Scientific Societies ISO, Italian Stroke Organization and ESO, European Stroke Organization.
In 2016 ALICe. Italy has promoted the establishment of the Italian Stroke Observatory together with the Parliamentary Intergroup on Social Problems of Stroke, ISO, ESO, ISS – Department of Cardiovascular, Metabolic Diseases and Aging of the Higher Institute of Health and SIMG – Italian Society of Medicine General and Primary Care. The Observatory works to promote greater awareness of the problems related to stroke at the institutional, health-care, scientific-academic and social levels, in particular on the methods of prevention and treatment of this devastating disease and sets itself, as a shared goal, that of having scientifically based and uniform criteria on the subject adopted throughout the country.
In November 2017, thanks to the action of ALICe. Italy and the Parliamentary Intergroup on Social Problems of Stroke, the XII Social Affairs Commission of the Chamber, approved the Resolution on the diagnosis and prevention of stroke: Government and Parliament are called to promote and support the most appropriate and advanced system of treatment for stroke throughout the national territory.
ALICe. Italy, promoter and at the forefront from the beginning in contributing to the definition of this document of extraordinary importance, will now have the task of stimulating and monitoring the commitment of regional health services in the application and rapid organizational implementation of specific measures, declined in 19 points, the implementation of which has already been promoted at the level of the national government.
In December 2018, the Stroke Observatory presented to the Chamber the results of the “Report on the Stroke in Italy. A photograph on prevention, treatment paths and perspectives ”, which offers for the first time a complete description of the pathology in our country. Finally, in December 2019, the Stroke Observatory presented the “Social Manifesto against stroke”, a 10-step call to action to draw the attention of the institutions to the fundamental work still to be done, with the need to collaborate with institutions , citizens and scientific societies.
