[vc_section full_width="stretch_row" css=".vc_custom_1522996877348{background-image: url(https://www.geneaccount.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/perhe_haalea.jpg?id=30714) !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}"][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title="Struck by a Stroke" color="black"][gem_youtube video_id="BK5my-Puse0"][vc_column_text css=".vc_custom_1521666725618{padding-top: 50px !important;}"]When you hear someone you know, suffered from a stroke, it does not seem likely that it could happen to you. Especially if you are fairly fit, exercise regularly and are barely past the middle age. In case of Jarmo Aaltonen, an active sales person from Turku, this was the case.
As Jarmo was entering his weekly rinkball session his balance all of sudden failed him – and he was rushed to the University Hospital of Turku and was immediately diagnosed with a stroke.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]“I have to admit, that it came as a total surprise. I look after myself and do sport or regular basis – I did not see this coming.”
In December 2015 Jarmo was prescribed Marevan, a medication to dilute blood. However, with this medication one has to be very observant and Jarmo’s blood count did not respond well. His doctor recommended a new medication, and Jarmo did as was advised. After six months of consuming Marevan his medication was changed into Plavix, a similar medicine that is commonly used and contains clopidogrel.
Jarmo was recovering well and life was slowly getting back to its old ways. After a 3-month sick leave Jarmo had been back to work and life was slowly getting back to normality. Most of all, Jarmo felt very privileged that he had recovered well, had received high quality treatment and was able to work and function with no permanent damages in his health. A long period of good health was followed by some unpleasant side-effects that gradually kick in. It was autumn when he felt his sate had severely collapsed.
“My wife had heard of pharmacogenetical testing. This was news to me, but my doctor at a public healthcare system was willing to prescribe the test for me – the results ended up being very significant regarding my personal medication.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="30811" img_size="large" add_caption="yes" alignment="center"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
The Hidden Risks of Preventive Medicine
As Jarmo discussed the possibility of pharmacogenetical testing, his doctor saw this being relevant. As the results came in, it concluded that Jarmo had genetics that do not response to klopidogrel. In other words, he had been consuming medication for 18 months that has no effect on him – it was only via pharmacogenetic testing that this information was found out. As stroke has a high percentage of renewing itself, it is crucial to have prevention medication at use.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/3"][gem_quote style="1"]“It truly was a relief to find out the medication did not work -since this resulted in re-evaluating my situation and changing into a new medicine that does the job.”[/gem_quote][/vc_column][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]52 636 Finnish people are prescribed clopidrogel annually* (used in Plavix) and out of those 30% do not have a response to the medicine. This means, that 15 000 people are consuming medication that they think is helping their body to resist the renewing of the stroke, but in reality, they might as well be popping mints. In some cases, clopidrogel can even cause damage rather than being only irrelevant.
“It truly was a relief to find out the medication did not work -since this resulted in re-evaluating my situation and changing into a new medicine that does the job.”
Jarmo’s doctor decided to change his medication based on the pharmacogenetical result. A medication that was a suitable match with Jarmo’s genotype.
In Jarmo’s case he found out the ill-match on time and no massive harm was done. Unofortunately this is not the case with all stroke patients.
Current Care Guidelines provide a very sufficient database for further education on how a stroke should be treated.[/vc_column_text][gem_button position="left" size="large" corner="3" icon_pack="elegant" text="ORDER GENETIC TEST" text_color="#ffffff" hover_text_color="#00c766" background_color="#00c766" hover_background_color="#eaeaea" icon_elegant="e015" link="url:%2F%2Fgeneaccount.com%2Ftuote%2Fgeneaccount-service%2F|||"][/vc_column][/vc_row][/vc_section]