Hypertension-stroke control programme for stroke victims

Team L&M

37-year-old man can now walk slowly and move his fingers after cell based therapy

Hrishikesh Rane, 37 years, had been under treatment for high blood pressure for around four years. After coming from work two years back, he experienced weakness in his legs while starting his bike. He further experienced weakness in his face and arms. As Rane was unable to speak clearly, he was rushed to a doctor wherein he was diagnosed to have experienced an episode of stroke. He was then admitted to a hospital and underwent surgery to remove a clot in the brain. Following this, he was advised physiotherapy rehabilitation as weakness persisted in his hands and he was unable to hold even a pen. Moreover, his gait changed and he did not feel comfortable to walk without support.

“Conventional management involves use of medicines to break down the blood clot (anti-thrombotic and anti-coagulant drugs) or surgical removal of the clot (thrombectomy) followed by neuromuscular rehabilitation,” explains Dr Pradeep Mahajan. However, conventional medicine did not address the root cause of the stroke. Therefore, complete recovery from symptoms does not occur.

On reading about cell based therapy on internet, Rane decided to consult Dr Mahajan and was advised a single session of cell based therapy and a personalised neurorehabilitation programme.

“I am able to feel that strength is improving in my legs. I can walk slowly without support. And I am able to open and close my fingers slowly which I was unable to before treatment. I am happy with the positive changes in such a short span of time. I have been advised to perform physiotherapy exercises and yoga every day. This has helped me a lot in addition to the cell based therapy and I feel that this holistic treatment will help me resume my job soon,” shares Rane.

New treatment strategies focus on neuro-regenerative approaches among which the application of progenitor cells from bone marrow/adipose tissue has gained increasing attention. “These cells have the capacity of self-renewal giving rise to differentiated cells from various lineages. Mesenchymal stem cells are capable of differentiating into neurons on exposure to various inducing regimens and are capable of secretion of growth factors, such as VEGF, bFGF, and BDNF which are critical for neuronal survival,” adds Dr Mahajan.

“Recovery after cell based therapy occurs through angiogenesis, neurogenesis, and synaptic plasticity. Cell based therapy has also been shown to reduce the size of infarcts and improve functional outcomes in stroke victims,” concludes Dr Mahajan.