WHAT is a stroke? According to Nasam, stroke is the third largest cause of death in Malaysia. Only cancer and heart attacks kill more. It is the No.3 killer of middle-aged people. Nasam’s youngest stroke patient is a six-year-old girl.
Stroke is a form of cardiovascular disease but it attacks the brain which is full of blood vessels. The brain receives 20% of your body’s blood which carries vital supplies of oxygen and nutrients. When a blood vessel in your brain bursts or gets clogged, supply stops. That part of the brain starts to die. You have a stroke, very silently.