Riskometer: the app helps determine stroke risk

What is the problem?

Before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, one person died of a stroke every ten minutes (that's about 50,000 deaths a year). In the conditions of war, this indicator can increase significantly. According to the Ministry of Health, the number of strokes in the country will increase by 16% in 2023. In addition, it is expected that because of the war, strokes will be younger by approximately 10 to 15 years.

What is the solution?

Currently, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine continues to create a network of medical institutions that have everything necessary to provide high-quality medical care to stroke patients and to implement new effective methods for diagnosis and treatment of stroke. At the same time, non-governmental organizations are also working on reducing the terrible stroke statistics in Ukraine. Thus, the NGO Just Save Life officially translated the globally recognized Stroke Riskometer application into Ukrainian. This application, installed directly on your smartphone, helps you make a personal stroke risk calculation for free and get recommendations on reducing it.

The work on the translation of the application and the creation of the chatbot was carried out within the framework of the Guaranteed! initiative, which is implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and the National Health Service of Ukraine and with the support of the USAID Ukraine – USAID Ukraine Project Healthcare Reform Support .

How does it work?

A stroke is an acute disruption of the cerebral circulation that occurs when a blood vessel is blocked by a blood clot or ruptures. At the same time, part of the brain stops receiving oxygen and nutrients, and as a result, the death of brain cells begins. Hypertension (systematic increase in blood pressure), heart disease, infectious diseases, and high blood cholesterol can lead to a stroke. Although, according to statistics, this disease is most often detected in patients aged 45 and older, nowadays, people in their 30s and 40s also find themselves in hospital beds with a stroke. Life upheavals during wartime, stress, sleep disturbances, unhealthy diet, smoking, and alcohol consumption all significantly increase the risk of stroke or heart attack, even in young people.

NGO Just Save Life is an initiative group that actively educates the population of Ukraine about stroke symptoms and prevention. The organization's goal is to prevent cardiovascular attacks in Ukrainians and respond quickly and correctly in the event of an attack. The organization emphasizes that awareness of the risks of a stroke will help, at least, to seek help in time and minimize complex consequences, and ideally — to prevent a serious illness.

The Stroke Riskometer application was created to help people calculate a personal stroke risk. It was developed under the leadership of doctors and professors from New Zealand, a country with one of the best levels of care for the stroke population. The application is based on authoritative scientific publications and recognized by the World Stroke Organization. More than 300 renowned stroke experts from 102 countries are already participating in the app project, making it the world's most significant international collaborative mobile health project.

For a long time, the application was not available to Ukrainians. As the head of the Just Save Life volunteer project, surgeon Andrii Maranov told the story of the translation of the Stroke Riskometer into Ukrainian, which started in winter 2022.

"Then, during the constant shelling, we were looking for contacts with the professors on whose scientific articles this application is based. We wrote to all the contact sources from the articles. There was no contact for a long time, but still, we managed to get in touch and start negotiations. At first, we were told it would take several thousand dollars to translate into Ukrainian. For our part, we tried to explain that there is a war here, we have shelling, and we are ready to do the translation ourselves, but it is obvious that we do not have the financial resources to pay for this work. Fortunately, we were heard and helped with funds. And then the power outages began. There was no light for dozens of hours or even days. Therefore, of course, it was tough to make an electronic translation of the application in such conditions. I admire our team, which is scattered all over Ukraine, that we managed to do it," says Maranov.

A fully localized version of the application with a Ukrainian translation was released in August 2023. In October, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine wrote about the application useful for Ukrainians on its Facebook page.

You can download the Stroke Riskometer application using the following links:

• Android
• iOS

Stroke Riskometer application

A riskometer calculates the risk of stroke by assessing a number of risk factors, such as age, gender, ethnicity, habits, and other factors that directly affect the likelihood of stroke. It also provides essential information about how you can reduce the chance of having a stroke and control risk when personal risk factors change.

"Often people, even if they suspect they have some kind of risk, just don't understand what to do about it. That is why we wanted to create such a solution that would allow, for example, the family doctor to tell his patient about this application and ask them to go through it," says Maranov.

Using the Stroke Riskometer is simple: you fill out a questionnaire (age, gender, height, weight, lifestyle, etc.). After the test, which takes no more than 10 minutes, you get a five to ten-year stroke risk calculation with explanations and recommendations on how to prevent it. In the application, you can periodically change the data and follow the schedule of decreasing or increasing the risk of stroke.

Just Save Life manager notes: The ability to modify the risk is the best thing about this app.

For example, gender is an unmodified risk. You cannot be born a different gender. But, for example, an unhealthy diet is a modified risk. You open the modified risks tab, which will tell you how to reduce this risk. For example, how many vegetables should be eaten, what is the permissible rate of alcohol, and how long physical activities should take. Everything is straightforward and scientifically based. This information is always with you, and you will never lose it.

Will it really work?

The app is free and suitable for people aged 20 and over. It will be helpful for everyone, even if you do not have a family history of strokes and do not belong to risk groups.

"This app will spread stroke awareness and educate about the risks. First, it is essential for everyone with high blood pressure or other cardiovascular diseases. A stroke means life with great limitations, and that's why we need to talk more about it," says Mariia Cherska, a cardiologist, doctor of medical sciences, head of the consulting and diagnostic department of the Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism named after V.P. Comisarenko of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine.

Anastasiia Tsyganii, an intern neurologist who works at the Oberig Universal Clinic and held a stroke awareness month on her Facebook page in October, adds: "I believe that people in Ukraine are not sufficiently aware of stroke. Many people do not know that the risk factors for stroke include a sedentary lifestyle, a diet rich in meat and salt, high cholesterol, hypertension, atrial fibrillation, diabetes, smoking, alcohol, and excessive psychological stress. The availability of the Stroke Riskometer app is very important because currently, statistics say that one in four people can have a stroke. Still, it can be avoided if you follow the recommendations to eliminate risk factors. A stroke can happen at any age, so it's best to assess your risks as soon as possible and change your lifestyle for the better."

The doctor notes the majority of the population does not know what the symptoms of a stroke are. This is very important because the people around you are responsible for recognizing a stroke and calling an ambulance as soon as possible. Therefore, it is also useful that the Stroke Riskometer application also informs people how exactly to recognize the symptoms of a stroke — the so-called FAST rule, which Rubryka already wrote about earlier.

According to the head of the Just Save Life volunteer project, Maranov, literally in the first weeks of testing, the Ukrainian version of the Stroke Riskometer application entered the top three downloads, second only to countries with a much larger population than Ukraine. This shows that the demand for information about stroke risk in Ukraine is very high.

Even more useful solutions!

We remind you that the non-governmental organization Just Save Life also developed a chatbot @JustSaveLifeBot. The idea of a chatbot appeared after Andrii Maranov's mother had a stroke. Due to untimely assistance, the woman remained partially paralyzed. After that, the doctor decided to help others learn as much as possible about stroke and get treatment in time.

The chatbot will help you find the nearest hospital that provides specialized stroke care defined by the National Health Service and provide a route to it. It will also quickly provide information about the signs of a stroke and tell you what to do if it is detected.