THE Nigerian Society of Neurological Sciences (NSNS) says diabetes and hypertension are frequently the most prevalent risk factors for stroke, and the country still has a significant burden of stroke and its sequelae.
They expressed concern about the scarcity and high cost of investigative modalities for stroke care even where available in Nigeria, further reducing the chance of Nigerians with stroke recovering from the illness and its sequelae.
NSNS, in its communiqué at the end of its 57th Annual Scientific Conference and General Meetings in Benin, said that the lack of a local guideline for comprehensive stroke care and coordinated stroke care among all tiers of the health care system is worrisome.
The communiqué signed by both NSNS’s president and secretary, Professor Morenikeji Komolafe and Dr. Emmanuel Iwuozo, said stroke among patients with sickle cell disease is still common, particularly among the young population, even as depression in stroke is common but often unaddressed for optimal clinical outcome.
The experts observed that stroke rehabilitation is necessary to address various disabilities acquired from stroke, and developing technologies including telerehabilitation, robotics, virtual reality and artificial intelligence were prioritised, developed and implemented across Nigeria to improve access to rehabilitation.
Read Also: Prominent dignitaries to celebrate Ebenezer Obey at 83
They recommended an improvement in stroke awareness, recognition and early presentation of patients at the hospital and urgent establishment of a national stroke registry to have current data for planning stroke services.
According to them, there is the need for subsidised costs for stroke investigative modalities such as neuroimaging like CT scans, MRIs, and transcranial doppler ultrasound scans and the provision of stroke units and comprehensive stroke centres so as to make acute stroke care, such as thrombolytic therapy and endovascular thrombectomy, readily accessible in Nigeria.
They also suggested urgent training and employment of more health workers with expertise in managing stroke and other neurological conditions, including rehabilitation professionals, so as to address post-stroke disabilities and ensure the reintegration of stroke survivors back into the community.