Food preservation, snake venoms and stroke in the tropics

Abstract

This chapter reviews how do non-traditional risk factors, like envenomation and food preservation, influence or add on to the burden of stroke in sub-Saharan Africa and the tropics. The major means of food preservation in the tropics, namely sub-Saharan Africa, has been by processing of food with salt. A possible direct effect between stroke and salt intake has been evaluated, with data consistent with the hypothesis that a high intake of salt may increase the risk of stroke, independent of effects on blood pressure. Hypertension continues to be the major risk factor for stroke in the tropics. WHO regards population-wide strategies as an integral part of the overall approach to the prevention of cardiovascular disease worldwide, especially those that include dietary modification. There is good evidence that a reduction in salt intake reduces blood pressure and strokes. WHO recently recognized snake bites as a neglected tropical disease. Little is known about the prevalence of stroke among snake bite victims. Much of the available information on the occurrence of stroke following a venomous snake bite is derived from case reports or small cohorts. This chapter examines the mechanisms related to how snake venom causes stroke and the importance of health education and provision of appropriate antivenins for prompt treatment.