NEW DELHI: AIIMS and IIT Delhi are working together to create low-cost assistive technologies including machines assisting stroke recovery (MASR) to help patients suffering from paralysis after strokes.
“To support the movement for paralysed patients, an exoskeletal suit is built to stimulate body parts. Although these are already available, they cost over Rs 70 lakh. Our aim is to bring in the same technology within a budget of Rs 10 lakh,” Dr. MV Padma Srivastava, HOD, Neurology, Delhi-AIIMS.
AIIMS along with the Climate wing of the Department of Science and Technology is also simultaneously conducting a study to understand the role played by the environment and pollution to cause strokes.
A team of doctors from AIIMS including Dr. Padma was in Dibrugarh and Tejpur, Assam for an educating program earlier this year where they found that life expectancy of tea garden workers is 45 years among which around 70% were BP patients.
“Genetics is always a reason but we can only modify our lifestyle and food habits. 53% of strokes in the North East are due to haemorrhages or bleeding in the brain,” said Dr. Padma. Compared to the rest of India, the residents of northeastern states are more prone to suffering from stroke, suggested doctors from All India Institute of Medical Sciences.
According to doctors, people in the northeast consume more salt than others which leads to high blood pressure.
“The risk factors such as blood pressure and hypertension are high in people from these states. Any variety of stroke whether bleeding or clot, the prime cause is always blood pressure,” said Dr. Padma.