Leading experts shed light on importance of establishing dedicated stroke management centers across healthcare facilities
- The Angels’ Initiative hails great success amongst local medical community, in line with its objective intensifying care protocols within stroke management centers
- 210 patients out 100,000 suffer from stroke in Egypt annually, which is a rate of 2 cases per hour
- Dedicated stroke centers are crucial to prevent permanent disability or death
- Attendees highlighted the importance of understanding and adhering to the ‘Golden Hour’ timeframe, which is critical to saving patients lives and preventing permanent disability
- Boehringer Ingelheim continues to support the local community in its effort to achieve 500 stroke management center in Egypt, under the Angels’ Initiative
Boehringer Ingelheim, one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies, organized recently a press conference around the importance of setting up dedicated stroke management centers to save patients’ lives from death or permanent disability. The event coincides with the 2nd International Stroke Management Conference, which was hosted during 6th-8th November in Cairo, with the attendance of more than 350 healthcare experts from across Egypt.
During the event, experts focused on the increasing prevalence of stroke in Egypt and the wider region. They emphasized on the importance of developing key measures to understand the dangerous evolution of the disease, with a focus on raising public awareness around risk factors, as well as symptoms. The aim is to recognize the impact that stroke has on individuals’ quality of life.
Stroke is one of the most devastating medical emergencies that can severely impact individuals’ lives. In addition, stroke can affect people of all ages and has implications for the patient, family, friends, colleagues and the sufferers’ broader community. Across the region, the disease is considered as a public health challenge, with an expected number of deaths to doubly by the year 2030. [1]
Dr. Magd Zakariya, Professor of Neurology at Ain Shams University and the President of the National Stroke Committee said, “ It is crucial to understand the symptoms of stroke in an initial step to ensure that patients receive optimal medical assistance in the fastest possible way. Symptoms of stroke can include sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arms or legs on one side of the body, as well as speech impairment, trouble with eye sight, loss of balance as well as severe headache.”
Experts stressed that F.A.S.T is an easy way to remember the sudden signs of stroke, which reflects Face Dropping, Arm Weakness, Speech Difficulty and Time to call for support . With every minute that passes after suffering from a stroke, the brain looses around 1.9 million cells[2], which may increase the chances of impacting patients’ speech, mobility, and memory on the long run.
On his part, Dr. Hani Arif, Head of Neurology and Psychology Department at Ain Shams University also noted, “There is a dire need to continue raising awareness amongst the society around the dangers of stroke, which will lead to stronger outcomes and saving lives. Rapid diagnosis to determine the stroke and immediate medical treatment (in less than 60 minutes, known as the Golden Hour) will reduce chances of further complications. Stroke centers must adhere to such protocols, which have been certified around the world. A clear example of this are the two stroke centers available at Ain Sham University and Al Demerdash Hospitals, which received numerous awards and certifications from the European Stroke Organization and the German Certification Committee, in addition to publishing a number of research papers in leading dedicated scientific journals.”
Moreover, medical professionals discussed stroke centers, and mentioned that the establishment of specialized stroke centers in hospitals will accelerate and improve patient treatment outcomes, as well as raise awareness about proper stroke management across the social community and healthcare professionals.
Dr. Hossam Salah, Professor of Neurology at Al Qasr Al Aini University and Head of Al Manial University Hospital said, “The rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke reduces mortality rates, disability, complications and length of stay in the hospital. Today, we urgently need to raise awareness about the need for immediate action to reduce disability and mortality and to engage in efforts to raise awareness about the importance of stroke treatment and lifestyle changes. This is in addition to the inclusion of the establishment of stroke centers and treatment of patients as a priority within the country, its health systems, and especially in the country’s universal health insurance project "
It is important to note that Boehringer Ingelheim, in line with its Angels’ Initiative, aims to help establish and develop of not less than 500 dedicated stroke centers, in collaboration with hospitals in Egypt. The underlying aim is to enhance and strengthen care protocols, facilitate knowledge exchange between hospitals and in accordance to ESO’s and the World Stroke Organization (WSO) standards.
Yasser Farghali, Boehringer Ingelheim’s General Manager and Head of Human Pharma for Egypt and the LINEA (Levant, Iraq, Near East Africa ) commented, “Despite the risk of stroke and being one of the leading causes of death and disability in the region, many patients do not have access to specialized healthcare, which puts a lot of strain on the local health system both in Egypt and across the region as a result of the direct impact it has sufferers. At Boehringer Engelheim, we are proud to be one of the first pharmaceutical companies to launch the initiative to create stroke care centers, as part of our social responsibility towards the local community. As a company, we are more than ready to collaborate with hospitals in Egypt, and help support them in establishing similar stroke centers, and provide the necessary training programs.”
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About Boehringer Ingelheim
Improving the health of humans and animals is the goal of the research-driven pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim. The focus in doing so is on diseases for which no satisfactory treatment option exists to date. The company therefore concentrates on developing innovative therapies that can extend patients’ lives. In animal health, Boehringer Ingelheim stands for advanced prevention.
Family-owned since it was established in 1885, Boehringer Ingelheim is one of the pharmaceutical industry’s top 20 companies. Some 50,000 employees create value through innovation daily for the three business areas human pharmaceuticals, animal health and biopharmaceuticals. In 2018, Boehringer Ingelheim achieved net sales of around 17.5 billion euros. R&D expenditure of almost
3.2 billion euros corresponded to 18.1 per cent of net sales.
As a family-owned company, Boehringer Ingelheim plans in generations and focuses on long-term success. The company therefore aims at organic growth from its own resources with simultaneous openness to partnerships and strategic alliances in research. In everything it does, Boehringer Ingelheim naturally adopts responsibility towards humankind and the environment.
More information about Boehringer Ingelheim can be found on www.boehringer-ingelheim.com or in our annual report: http://annualreport.boehringer-ingelheim.com.
For further information, kindly contact:
Sara Shamel
Head of External Communications - META
Boehringer Ingelheim | Middle East, Turkey and Africa
sara.shamel@boehringer-ingelheim.com
References
[1] Stroke in Saudi Arabia: a review of the recent literature I https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4048673/