Social Network-Based Digital Stroke Prevention: Opportunities, Results and Prospects

Aim. To study the possibilities and limitations of the social network as a digital medical tool, which is aimed at improving programs for primary and secondary stroke prevention in young people.Material and methods. The study was carried out in the format of online training for volunteers. At the first stage of the work, the online school “Stroke in Young People” was announced in 8 medical blogs. As part of the school, a special account was created for readers (n=1354). At the second stage, 49 respondents (4% of men, whose average age was 24.4±5.2 years) were selected from 1354 listeners, who were surveyed on “Awareness of risk factors and stroke symptoms among users of social networks” before and after the online school.Results. The online school audience is predominantly female (91%), and 43% of readers were in the 25-34 age group. The total number of people who listened to and read the online school material is 8712 people. 17% worked in the healthcare system, and 22% of respondents had a history of stroke. 38 (78%) people of the 2nd stage among the respondents independently searched for information about stroke earlier, and 30 (61%) received this information passively from medical workers in 2020. Before the online school start, the majority of respondents (over 60%) were aware of 2 out of 7 stroke risk factors (dyslipidemia and arterial hypertension) and 3 out of 6 stroke signs (drooping of the face half, weakness in the limbs and difficulty speaking). Less than 40% of the participants considered the stroke risk factors for diabetes mellitus, other cardiovascular diseases (CVD), obesity, and alcohol use; less than 20% were aware of stroke symptoms such as impaired vision and coordination and very severe headache. After completing online learning, the greatest increase in knowledge was found among the following risk factors – smoking and other CVDs (p<0.05); stroke symptoms - headache and drooping of the face half (p<0.05).Conclusion. The online school aroused interest among healthcare workers and people without medical education, including those with stroke. Most of the respondents believed that they knew how to prevent a stroke (over 80%) and would be able to provide first aid to a person with a stroke (over 90%). At the same time, the awareness of risk factors and stroke symptoms was low prior to the start of learning, even though the study included healthcare workers and stroke survivors. Online learning has led to increased awareness of some risk factors and stroke symptoms. Social media can be one of the tools for medical prevention of stroke in young people, but program planning should take into account the way the material is presented and its readability

Modern approaches of the cerebral palsy pathogenesis in the substantiation of program for its early diagnosis and treatment introduction

It was performed the literature data analysis on the mechanisms of cerebral palsy (CP). Presents current information about the processes of the brain differentiation considered the pathogenesis of lesions that underlie the clinical manifestations of the CP. Understanding the processes intensively in the central nervous system is essential for the early diagnosis of disease among children in this age group received to date data indicate that the major activities for the early diagnosis and early treatment of perinatal pathological changes should be carried out in the prenatal period and during the first year a child's life

PREVALENCE AND RISK FACTORS OF ASYMPTOMATIC CEREBRAL INFARCTION

Acute stroke manifesting as focal neurological deficit is a leading cause of death and disability. Of interest is the problem of asymptomatic cerebral infarctions (AСI), in which there is focal medullary involvement unaccompanied by the development of focal symptoms. The role of AСI as a marker for the progression of vascular dementia and for the further development of symptomatic stroke has not been adequately explored. There are current instrumental (neuroimaging) criteria for diagnosing AСI. An update on the risk factors of AСI and their association with the further course of cerebrovascular involvement is analyzed. The results of a number of prospective studies conducted in the countries of Asia and Europe to investigate risk factors for AСI and their prognostic value are considered in detail. There is a relationship between hypertension, blood pressure instability, type 2 diabetes mellitus, some other factors, and a significantly increased risk for AСI. Based on the results of analyzing the data available in the literature, the authors demonstrate the association of prior AСI with the higher rates of progressive vascular cognitive impairments. A correlation is shown between prior AСI and an increased risk for further development of ischemic stroke accompanied by its clinical symptoms, which leads to disability. It is suggested that it is advisable to implement measures for secondary cardiovascular disease prevention, including the administration of antiaggregatory and antihypertensive agents, in patients with AСI