American neurologists have introduced the Brain Care Score, an interactive questionnaire that helps assess brain health and determine what lifestyle changes can reduce the risk of stroke, dementia, and depression.
Aording to the description provided by the developers at the McCance Center for Brain Health (Massachusetts General Hospital), the scale is 21 points and takes into account 12 modifiable factors – from blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol levels to nutrition, sleep, physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption, stress, social connections and “meaning/purpose in life.” .
The effectiveness of the approach was evaluated using UK Biobank data: in a study of nearly 399,000 participants, a higher Brain Care Score was statistically associated with a lower risk of dementia and stroke at a median follow-up of 12.5 years (in particular, a 5-point increase was associated with a reduction in risk across different age groups).
Since the beginning of 2023, the National Health Service of Ukraine (NHSU) has paid over UAH 2.22 billion to medical institutions for medical care in case of acute cerebral stroke and acute myocardial infarction.
According to the NHSU press service, since the beginning of 2023, more than 78.8 thousand patients have received medical care for acute cerebral stroke and more than 21 thousand patients for acute myocardial infarction under the Medical Guarantee Program (MGP).
In addition, the NHSU reminds that 232 brand names of medicines for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and primary and secondary prevention of heart attacks and strokes are currently participating in the Affordable Medicines reimbursement program.
More than 13.6 thousand private and municipal pharmacies have agreements with the NHSU to participate in the reimbursement program.
229 medical institutions have contracts with the NHSU for the treatment of acute cerebral stroke, and 74 institutions have contracts for the treatment of acute myocardial infarction. In particular, during stroke treatment, a medical facility receives UAH 131,472 for endovascular interventions, UAH 62,565 for thrombolytic therapy, and UAH 14,952 for care without endovascular interventions or thrombolytic therapy.
For the treatment of a heart attack with stenting, a healthcare facility receives UAH 43,573; if stenting is not performed, the NHSU pays UAH 25,261 for medical care provided during a heart attack.
