'5 lakh suffer from brain stroke a yr'

As a result, most of the victims become paralysed or die due to lack of treatment as well as lack of awareness about symptoms of the disease, experts said at a press conference yesterday.

The Society for Neurologists of Bangladesh organised the press conference at the National Press Club, with Department Head of Neurology at Birdem Hospital Prof Sirajul Haque as chief guest. Prof AKM Anwar Ullah, head of neurology department, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical Hospital, was present as special guest.

The neurology specialists said brain stroke is the second commonest disease among world's population.

Dr Haque said the concept of the disease is not clear to the patients and the doctors of other disciplines as well. "Whenever someone suffers a stroke, they straightaway visit the heart specialists (instead of neurologists) and do not receive proper treatment in time due to their ignorance."

Dr Anwar said patients with brain stroke will faint suddenly with pain in the head or suffer sudden paralysis.

They said if the patients can reach neurologists within four to six hours after the brain stroke, a third of them can be saved from the risk of death.

In Bangladesh, there is only one neurologist for every 31.78 lakh people as there are only 11 medical institutes where Department of Neurology exists, they said.

The Head of Neurology Department of Sir Salimullah Medical College and Hospital Dr MA Hayee presented a keynote paper.