Stroke is a quite common on the street. It is very likely that every family have had a member suffer from at least an episode of stroke.
As a disease of affecting the brain, stroke symptoms are hardly hidden because it manifests affecting the face. Family and friends would most likely observe the symptoms even if the victims miss it.
WHAT IS A STROKE
A stroke occurs when the blood supply to part of your brain is interrupted or reduced, depriving brain tissue of oxygen and nutrients. Within minutes, brain cells begin to die.
A stroke is a medical emergency requiring prompt intervention. Early action can minimize brain damage and potential complications.
In countries where adequate data exists, approximately 40 percent of people who die from stroke are male, with 60 percent of deaths occurring in females.
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STROKE SYMPTOMS AND SIGNS
A lot of people have warning signs and symptoms long before it results in a ‘full’ stroke. But most people brush these aside and carry on with other activities.
It is best that you watch for these signs and symptoms if you think you or someone else may be having a stroke. Pay attention to when the signs and symptoms begin. The length of time they have been present can affect your treatment options:
- Trouble with speaking and understanding. You may experience confusion. You may slur your words or have difficulty understanding speech. Sluggish articulation of words is also seen.
- Paralysis or numbness of the face, arm or leg. This is probably the most troubling feature that forces the patient to seek medical help. You may develop sudden numbness, weakness or paralysis in your face, arm or leg. This often happens just on one side of your body. Try to raise both your arms over your head at the same time. If one arm begins to fall, you may be having a stroke. Also, one side of your mouth may droop when you try to smile.
- Trouble with seeing in one or both eyes. You may suddenly have blurred or blackened vision in one or both eyes, or you may see double.
- Headache. A sudden, severe headache, which may be accompanied by vomiting, dizziness or altered consciousness, may indicate you’re having a stroke.
- Trouble with walking. You may stumble or experience sudden dizziness, loss of balance or loss of coordination.
CAUSES OF A STROKE
The different types of stroke have different causes. However, stroke is more likely to affect people if they have the following risk factors:
- being overweight
- being aged 55 years or older
- a personal or family history of stroke
- a history of previous stroke episode.
- an inactive lifestyle
- a tendency to drink heavily, smoke, or use illicit drugs
A stroke may be caused by a blocked artery (ischemic stroke) or the leaking or bursting of a blood vessel (hemorrhagic stroke). Some people may experience only a temporary disruption of blood flow to the brain (transient ischemic attack, or TIA) that doesn’t cause permanent damage.
TYPES OF STROKE
Ischemic stroke
- Thrombotic stroke. A thrombotic stroke occurs when a blood clot (thrombus) forms in one of the arteries that supply blood to your brain. A clot may be caused by fatty deposits (plaque) that build up in arteries and cause reduced blood flow (atherosclerosis) or other artery conditions.
- Embolic stroke. An embolic stroke occurs when a blood clot or other debris forms away from your brain — commonly in your heart — and is swept through your bloodstream to lodge in narrower brain arteries. This type of blood clot is called an embolus.
Hemorrhagic stroke
Hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel in your brain leaks or ruptures. Brain hemorrhages can result from many conditions that affect your blood vessels.
These include:
- Uncontrolled high blood pressure (hypertension)
- Overtreatment with anticoagulants (blood thinners)
- Weak spots in your blood vessel walls (aneurysms)
A less common cause of hemorrhage is the rupture of an abnormal tangle of thin-walled blood vessels (arteriovenous malformation). Types of hemorrhagic stroke include:
- Intracerebral hemorrhage. In an intracerebral hemorrhage, a blood vessel in the brain bursts and spills into the surrounding brain tissue, damaging brain cells. Brain cells beyond the leak are deprived of blood and are also damaged.
High blood pressure, trauma, vascular malformations, use of blood-thinning medications and other conditions may cause an intracerebral hemorrhage.
- Subarachnoid hemorrhage. In a subarachnoid hemorrhage, an artery on or near the surface of your brain bursts and spills into the space between the surface of your brain and your skull. This bleeding is often signaled by a sudden, severe headache.
A subarachnoid hemorrhage is commonly caused by the bursting of a small sack-shaped or berry-shaped aneurysm. After the hemorrhage, the blood vessels in your brain may widen and narrow erratically (vasospasm), causing brain cell damage by further limiting blood flow.
Transient ischemic attack (TIA)
A transient ischemic attack (TIA) — sometimes known as a ministroke — is a temporary period of symptoms similar to those you’d have in a stroke. A temporary decrease in blood supply to part of your brain causes TIAs, which may last as little as five minutes. Here, no permanent damage and no lose of brain tissue.
It is important that victims seek emergency care even if your symptoms seem to clear up. Having a TIA puts you at greater risk of having a full-blown stroke, causing permanent damage later. If you’ve had a TIA, it means there’s likely a partially blocked or narrowed artery leading to your brain or a clot source in the heart.
TREATMENT OF A STROKE
Already it is established that stroke is a medical EMERGENCY. This means that prompt medical intervention is needed to avoid further deterioration of the condition.
It does not matter the type of stroke. What matters is that the patient is quickly brought to the hospital for medical treatment.
When the patient is brought to the hospital, the medical professionals would begin a process of determining what would be the appropriate treatment option(s) for the patient.
Rehabilitation
Strokes are life-changing events that can affect a person both physically and emotionally. After a stroke, successful recovery will often involve specific therapies and support, such as:
- Speech therapy: This helps with any problems producing or understanding speech. Practice, relaxation, and changing communication style can all help.
- Physical therapy: This can help a person relearn movement and co-ordination. It is important to stay active, even if it is difficult at first. People who have stroke can still use devices like wheelchairs and scooters to be mobile when recovering.’
- Occupational therapy: This is used to help a person to improve their ability to carry out routine daily activities, such as bathing, cooking, dressing, eating, reading, and writing.
- Support groups: These help with common mental health problems such as depression that can occur after a stroke. Many find it useful to share common experiences and exchange information.
- Support from friends and family: The people closest to a person should offer practical support and comfort after a stroke. Letting friends and family know what can be done to help is very important.
Rehabilitation is an important and ongoing part of treatment. With the right assistance and the support of loved ones, rehabilitation to a normal quality of life is possible, depending on the severity of the stroke.
Prevention
Many stroke prevention strategies is similar to preventing a heart disease, so knowing your stroke risk factors, following your doctor’s recommendations and adopting a healthy lifestyle are the best steps you can take to prevent a stroke.
A healthy lifestyle includes
- eating a healthy diet
- maintaining a healthy weight
- exercising regularly
- not smoking tobacco
- avoiding alcohol or drinking moderately
Sometimes your doctor could prescribe stroke preventive medications in the event that you have very high risk factors of suffering from stroke. Drugs like Anti-platelets drugs (Aspirin, clopidogrel) or Anticoagulant drugs (heparin and warfarin).
