Interventional Radiologist and Medical Director for Euracare Ghana, Dr Benjamin Dabo Sarkodie, has expressed his strong disapproval of self-treatment when it comes to stroke.

According to him, people who self-treat stroke and only go to the hospital when the symptoms worsen put themselves at risk of severe attacks that can lead to death. Stroke is a progressive condition, and while symptoms may appear slightly mild at first, they have a high chance of worsening within 24 hours.

Dr Sarkodie noted that stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability among older people and, in the worst cases, among the youth. It takes doctors 24 hours to identify the full effect of a stroke before the type is diagnosed, the reason he strongly discourages individuals from self-treating stroke and instead advises them to consult their doctors as soon as symptoms appear.

He made these statements while speaking to Asieduwaa Akumia on Prime Morning on Wednesday.

"I am not encouraging people to do things at home because, at the end of the day, I have patients who get strokes and say, I can’t feel my legs, but I am going to sleep it off a bit. I am sure when I wake up, I will be fine. Or I am going to massage it, or I am going to call my pastor. Though all these things are good, the golden thing to do is report to the doctor," he said.

The interventional radiologist also mentioned that stroke does not discriminate. Although the illness is popular among older people because they mostly battle blood pressure and cholesterol issues, nowadays, young people even in their 20s, have found themselves tied up with these conditions due to their unhealthy way of living.

He further disclosed that there is a window period during which strokes can be managed and sometimes reversed. The only way this can be achieved is if patients visit the hospital immediately after noticing symptoms of stroke.

"The good thing is that we actually have a window period during which most of these strokes can actually be managed and sometimes even reverse the symptoms of the disease, so the first thing to do is get yourself to the hospital," he said.

Dr Sarkodie advised people to educate themselves about stroke and its symptoms.

This, he explained, will go a long way to help people identify when a patient is in dire need of help and has to be rushed to the hospital.

It also affords people the chance to pay keen attention to their bodies to know when the need arises to visit the doctor.