Answer:

Stroke is a great problem, because many more people are having strokes than ever before. Perhaps this is because so many people are smoking--cigarette smoking is probably the greatest risk factor for having a stroke. Another reason is that people have much higher cholesterol levels in their blood than before. This is another risk factor for stroke. Briefly, a stroke occurs when the blood supply to a part of the brain is cut off. If the blood supply is completely cut off for more than a very few minutes, the part of the brain involved dies.

There are indeed new treatments for stroke, but these new treatments must be started within a maximum of 2 to 4 hours after a stroke begins to be effective. The only other late treatment which is now being investigated at medical schools, but is not yet widely available for use in patients, is one in which a small tube is placed in a very narrow part of an artery leading to the brain in order to open it so that blood can flow through more easily. This treatment may be effective for people who have not yet suffered so severe a stroke that the brain tissue has died, and will probably be effective in only a small number of people. We do not know where this treatment might be available in Hong Kong, since it is still being studied elsewhere, but your father's doctor may know a vascular surgeon at the medical school who is involved in such a study. Please see our sister website www.nutritionno1.com where extensive information on stroke is available in the English section of the website.

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