On the occasion of World Stroke Day, theAsp of Messina, together withUosd Stroke of the “G. Martino” University Hospital and atmunicipal administration, promoted a meeting in the Municipality to raise citizens’ awareness of prevention and the importance of a network of dedicated structures.
The general director of the ASP, Giuseppe Cuccì, has announced his desire to strengthen assistance in the Tyrrhenian and Nebroid areas by establishing new Stroke units in hospitals Milazzo and gods Nebrodi: “It is essential to create specialized structures in the province as soon as possible, because time is decisive in these cases. We want to build a network with the Stroke unit of the Polyclinic, which manages assistance in Messina excellently”, explained Cuccì.
The mayor Federico Basile and thecouncilor for social policies and health Alessandra Calafiore underlined the importance of institutional collaboration for spread the culture of prevention: “Involving citizens and promoting correct lifestyles is essential to reduce the risk of stroke and other chronic diseases”.
They also spoke during the meeting Giuseppe Ruggeri ed Eliana Tripodo (responsible for the Pl11 project for chronic non-communicable diseases), Chiara Schirò (Education and Health Promotion Unit), Rosaria Cuffari (director of the ASP screening management centre) e Marina Ruggeri (ASP neurologist), who reiterated how a significant portion of strokes can be avoided by intervening on the main risk factors: hypertension, smoking, diabetes, high cholesterol, atrial fibrillation, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, alcohol abuse and sleep apnea.
The professor Antonio Toscano, director ofUosd Stroke of the Polyclinic, highlighted that in Messina they are registered approximately 450 hospitalizations per year for stroke or suspected stroke, recalling the importance of timely diagnosis and prevention.
The event is part of the initiatives of Global Stroke Action Coalition, on the occasion of the world day, and also included an area dedicated to vaccination against fever and papilloma virus, set up in collaboration with the Uosd vaccination center Hospital hygiene of the Polyclinic, directed by Dr. Cristina Genovese.