Brazzaville, Congo - Cases of Stroke, medically known as cerebrovascular accident (CVA), have risen sharply in Congo, vaulting from 257 cases in 2006 to 412 in 2010, PANA learnt Thursday from sources close to the Congolese Ministry of Health and Population in Brazzaville, the capital.

The increase is due, among other things, to an aging population and the high prevalence of vascular risk factors such as hypertension and diabetes, the sources said.

Stroke accounts for 53 percent of admissions to the neurology department of the University Hospital Centre (CHU) in Brazzaville, the largest health facility in the country.

According to official figures, Congo has only four neurologists and two neurosurgeons in government hospitals, three neurologists, four radiologists and no neuroradiologis in private practice.

Pana 04/11/2011