Stroke prevalent among illegal drug users

MANILA, Philippines – Medical experts warned yesterday of the high prevalence of stroke among users of illegal drugs, particularly those who are dependent on methamphetamine hydrochloride, locally known as shabu.

Dr. Jose Navarro, vice president of the Stroke Society of the Philippines (SSP), said dependence on illegal drugs was recently identified as an emerging risk factor or cause of stroke.

In a health forum in Quezon City, Navarro said these drugs cause inflammation of the arteries in the brain.

A survey by the Dangerous Drugs Board in 2004 showed that 6.7 million Filipinos are using illegal drugs, including shabu, considered to be the poor man’s cocaine.

Meanwhile, Dr. Abdias Aquino, a former SSP president, said world mortality rate due to stroke is projected to reach 7.8 million by 2030.

“Accordingly, if there is no active intervention, there will be an increase to 23 million first-ever stroke victims, 77 million stroke survivors and 7.8 million deaths by 2030,” Aquino said.

Aquino was a member of the St. Luke’s medical team that attended to the late movie icon Fernando Poe Jr. who died of coronary thrombosis on Dec. 14, 2004.

Citing data from the World Health Organization (WHO), Aquino said that in 2005, there were 16 million first-ever stroke victims globally, 62 million stroke survivors and 5.7 million deaths.

He said 87 percent of these deaths occur in low-income and middle-income countries, including the Philippines.

Aquino said a recent survey conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) showed that the prevalence of stroke among young Filipinos aged 20 and above is roughly 1.4 to 1.9 percent.

Aquino said that older people (60 years and above) are more prone to stroke with prevalence rate of 4.5 percent or 500 in every 100,000.

He said stroke remains the number one cause of morbidity in the world. – Helen Flores