11/08/2026
[๐ง๐๐ฃ-๐ข๐-๐ง๐๐-๐ง๐ข๐ก๐๐จ๐ ๐ง๐จ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ฌ]
๐ง๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐โ๐ ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ: ๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ธ๐ฒ
โ๐๐ข๐ข๐ฏ๐ฐ ๐ฌ๐ข, ๐๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฐ?โ
โ๐๐ถ๐ญ๐ฑ๐ช ๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฅ๐ถ๐ญ๐ข๐ข๐ฏ ๐ด๐ข๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ถ๐ด๐ฐ๐จ ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ ๐ธ๐ข๐ญรก ๐ฌ๐ฐ ๐ฏ๐จ๐ข ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต.โ
In just seconds, the world has blurred helter-skelter. A disorienting ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ฑ, as warmth suddenly rushes to Loloโs head. A sharp ๐ค๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ, as the dinner fork he once held securely in his left hand hits the ground. He reaches out to catch it, but fails: the left half of his body feels oddly detached from the rest of him. His lips, too, canโt quite form around a cry for help.
Most of us have heard of or witnessed a variant of this vignette at some point in our lives. Cerebrovascular events like stroke have become a staple in the clinics and wards, particularly among the elderly. When filling out the family history section, medical students may often hear patients indicate โstrokeโ as a significant family historyโor, sometimes, even, as the patientโs own past medical history.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines a ๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ธ๐ฒ as an interruption of blood flow to the brain, commonly due to a blockage or bleeding. It is considered a medical emergencyโas delayed care and response may lead to brain cell death.
The three types of stroke include 1) ๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐บ๐ถ๐ฐ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ธ๐ฒ (a clot obstructs a blood vessel in the brain), 2) ๐ต๐ฒ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ต๐ฎ๐ด๐ถ๐ฐ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ธ๐ฒ (a blood vessel in the brain ruptures), and 3) ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐บ๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ (a โshort periodโ of blood flow blockage to the brain that presents similarly to a stroke).
In 2023, stroke was cited as the โsecond leading cause of death and long-term disabilityโ among adults in the Philippines.
๐๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ง ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒ!
This Brain Attack Awareness Week, health experts emphasize the importance of recognizing a stroke in its earliest onset. Whether a physician, a medical student, or a lay person, anyone can use the mnemonic ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ง as a quick algorithm for identifying a suspected case of stroke.
๐ = ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐
Assess whether the person is experiencing a sudden loss of balance or coordination, or an unexpected onset of dizziness.
๐ = ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฉ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐
Check for vision changes, such as sudden loss of vision or a blurry eyesight.
๐ = ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐๐ถ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด
Ask them to smile, and check whether there is asymmetry between both sides of the face, such as one-sided drooping.
๐ = ๐๐ฟ๐บ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐
Ask them to raise both arms, and then observe if one arm drifts downward.
๐ฆ = ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ต ๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐น๐๐
Observe if the patient has difficulty speaking, such as slurring, strange manner of speaking, difficulty speaking, or inability to repeat a simple sentence.
๐ง = ๐ง๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐
As you observe these signs, be ready to call emergency services. Time is of the essence when it comes to dealing with stroke.
More importantly, prevention is paramount to stroke response and management. Coupling regular physical activity with proper, balanced nutrition improves cardiovascular health and decreases the risk of having a future stroke.
No one can truly predict when or to whom the next stroke could happen. In these kinds of emergencies, itโs vital to ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ง and to be prepared for its warning signs. Every second matters in saving the brain.
Article by Chloe Faciolan and Carlo Ang
Layout by Chloe Faciolan
๐๐๐ฅ-๐ค๐-๐ฉ๐๐-๐๐ค๐ฃ๐๐ช๐ ๐๐ช๐๐จ๐๐๐ฎ ๐๐จ ๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐ช๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐๐ก ๐๐ง๐ฉ๐๐๐ก๐ ๐จ๐๐ง๐๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐๐ก๐ฅ๐จ ๐ข๐๐๐๐๐๐ก ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ก๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ก๐ฉ๐ ๐จ๐ฉ๐ช๐๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐จ ๐ก๐๐๐ง๐ฃ ๐๐ค๐ข๐ฅ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฉ๐ค๐ฅ๐๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ค๐ช๐๐ ๐ข๐ฃ๐๐ข๐ค๐ฃ๐๐๐จ, ๐จ๐ฉ๐ช๐๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ฆ๐ช๐๐จ, ๐ข๐๐ข๐ค๐ง๐ฎ ๐๐๐๐จ, ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฅ๐ง๐๐๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ก ๐๐ญ๐๐ข ๐ฉ๐๐ฅ๐จ.