‘Shabu’ use an emerging cause of stroke among Filipinos - experts

MANILA, Philippines - The use of illegal drugs, particularly of methamphetamine hydrochloride or “shabu," is becoming an emerging cause of stroke among Filipinos, according to the Stroke Society of the Philippines (SSP). In a press briefing Tuesday, Dr Jose Navarro, vice president of SSP, said “shabu" can cause stroke because it can initiate inflammation of the arteries in the brain. “Shabu is becoming an emerging risk factor for hypertension. We are seeing patients developing bleeding in the brain," he said. A survey by the Dangerous Drugs Board in 2004 showed that 6.7 million Filipinos are using illegal drugs, including “shabu," which is considered as poor man’s cocaine. Five hundred out of every 100,000 Filipinos are developing stroke every year, with 4.5 percent of them aged 50 and above, said Dr Abdias Aquino, former PPS president. The World Health Organization (WHO) places the global burden of stroke at 16 million for those who had it once and 62 million stroke survivors. In 2005, stroke caused the deaths of 5.7 million people, with 87 percent of them coming from low and middle-income economies including the Philippines. By 2030, deaths associated with stroke are projected to increase to 7.8 million, according to Aquino. Next to heart disease, stroke is the number 2 killer in the Philippines. A person suffers stroke, a non-communicable disease, when a blood vessel or artery supplying oxygen to the brain is either blocked by a blood clot or fatty deposits. An attack cuts off the blood supply to the part of the brain that causes hundreds of thousands of nerve cells to die within minutes. The result is either disability or death. - GMANews.TV