Whale worship still thrives
The exclusively Vietnamese custom of people in certain fishing villages worshipping whales is certainly not a thing of the past.
HCM CITY — The rate of patients dying of brain haemorrhages was between 30-35 per cent, warned Dr Nguyen Anh Tai, head of HCM City-based Cho Ray hospital's Neurology Faculty.
Cho Ray Hospital, one of the biggest hospitals in the city, received about 1,200 patients during the first six months of this year. More than 40 patients were treated at the hospital on Tuesday alone.
"People's failure to control their hypertension is the most popular cause of the disease, which makes blood vessel break and overflow into brain tissue," says Dr Tai.
The patients who survive often suffer from a loss of motor skills and physical mobility.
"The recovery rate for most patients is limited," he says.
The disease is preventable in 80 per cent of cases, but Tai said the issue receives little attention from the public.
The abuse of drugs and alcohol can prompt the disease, he says.
Brain haemorrhages can attack people of any age, but the old and males, particularly those of over 50 years old, are the most vulnerable to the disease. Male patients account for 60 per cent of the hospital's total patients.
Tai says people should take simple measures to prevent the disease, including checking their blood pressure, having regular health check-ups, maintaining a healthy diet, exercising and avoiding alcohol and drug abuse. — VNS
