As part of its South Asian Health Series, Indiaspora hosted a conversation titled “From Risk to Recovery: A Conversation on Stroke.” Dr. Ashish Jha, Senior Fellow at the Harvard Belfer Center and CEO of BioRadar, shared opening remarks. Panelists included Dr. Seemant Chaturvedi, Vice Chair for Strategic Operations at the University of Maryland Department of Neurology and former president of the Association of Indian Neurologists in America (AINA); Dr. Pooja Khatri, Chair of Neurology at Yale School of Medicine; Mukul Pandya, former associate fellow at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School and founding editor-in-chief of Knowledge@Wharton; and session chair Abhay Dandekar, MD, physician, health care leader, and host of the popular podcast “Trust Me, I Know What I’m Doing.”
In his opening remarks, Dr. Jha mentioned how stroke is one of the leading causes of death around the world and that 80% of strokes are preventable. He also said that South Asians have a higher-than-average risk of stroke. According to him, South Asians have a 40% higher risk of stroke mortality in the U.S. compared with the White population. He also mentioned that the risk of stroke among South Asians is often underestimated due to genetic factors and drew attention to how South Asians are often underrepresented in stroke research.
Dr. Khatri elaborated on how the risk of stroke has taken shape and what people should be looking for.
“A stroke is an attack, a disruption of blood flow. Unlike a heart attack where there’s a disruption of blood flow in the heart, it’s in the brain. The disruption can be because an artery was blocked or an artery was burst,” she said, adding that there are a number of factors that contribute to the higher stroke rates in the South Asian population, including a high degree of “insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.”
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She also mentioned that the way weight is distributed often increases the chances of diabetes and hypertension among South Asians, who are also predisposed to higher cholesterol levels.
The panelists also discussed the importance of screening for various health factors that could contribute to stroke risk.
Dr. Chaturvedi talked about risk factors such as atrial fibrillation and sleep apnea. He also mentioned how it is critical for stroke patients to get to the emergency room within 24 hours. He also discussed interventional treatment through thrombectomy.
Dr. Chaturvedi also discussed silent strokes, which occur when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off without noticeable symptoms. Meanwhile, Dr. Khatri mentioned that there has been a rise in strokes among younger people and that South Asians tend to have strokes at a younger age than non-South Asians.
Dr. Chaturvedi also added that a Lipoprotein(a) test is recommended to better understand stroke risks.
Mukul Pandya shared his personal experience as a stroke survivor. He mentioned that while the U.S. health care system for stroke recovery worked really well when it came to physical health, things were more complicated regarding mental health.
“My mental conception was that if I worked really really hard, in three months I’ll be back to my previous self. That doesn’t happen,” he said, adding that he lost the use of the left side of his body and was in a wheelchair.
“There were times when I tried to eat, there was so much spasticity in my hand I would throw food around, so they would put a bib around my neck,” he said. “And that feeling of being infantile and helpless was extremely depressing.”
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He added that he was unable to write or edit despite being a writer and editor for decades, leading to a feeling of a loss of self. He mentioned a book called “Identity Theft’ by Stanford professor and stroke survivor Debra Meyerson that helped him. He also mentioned that technology, including AI tools, can help make up for some physician-related issues.
The panelists then talked about the effects of stress on stroke, differences in stroke prevalence between men and women, and medication, providing further insight into the subject.
Indiaspora is a nonprofit organization that unites global leaders of Indian origin from diverse backgrounds and professions by providing a platform to collaborate, build community engagement, and catalyze social change. The Health Series by Indiaspora is a virtual program that discusses health issues, particularly those affecting the South Asian community.