Stroke
Depending on how they occur, strokes are seperated into two categories:
Since these two types of stroke are caused by different mechanisms, they are also caused by different factors.
A stroke due to a hemorrhage occurs more rarely than a cerebral ischemia. The major cause for this type of stroke is arterial hypertension.
During a hypertensive crisis (an immediate rise in arterial pressure at very high levels) a blood vessel in the brain may rupture, thereby causing blood to leak into the surrounding tissue and damage it.
The arteries that supply the brain with blood are responsible for supplying this organ with oxygen. Damaging this blood vessel prevents that specific part of the brain from being oxygenated.
Since the main cause of this hemorrhage is high arterial pressure, it is recommended to maintain a stable arterial pressure (max 130/90). This is considered to be a first key step in preventing a stroke.
Since hypertension is the main cause, then one must list the risk factors for developing hypertensive disease:
Other factors may cause the hemorrhage, especially in younger ages, and these factors include:
Any individual may suffer a hemorrhage and the risk increases with age. Men are more at risk than women. Afro-americans and Japanese individuals are among the populations with the highest rates of hypertensive disease, hence they are populations with a higher risk for hemorrhage.
Strokes due to Ischemia include:
A stroke due to ischemia is common. A blood vessel becomes blocked, thereby blocking the flow of blood, and as a result the supply of oxygen to the brain is suddenly interrupted.
The blockage of the blood vessel may be due to the formation of a blood clot (a thrombus) in a particularly narrow zone in the blood vessel. This narrowing of artery may have come as a consequence of fat being deposited in the form of plaques. This process is called atherosclerosis.
The major cause of ischemia in the brain is astherosclerosis.
The internal walls of the vessel suffering from atherosclerosis is covered in solid, yellow plaques, which renders the blood vessel rigid and non-elastic.
These plaques are formed as a result of fats and lipids becoming deposited on the internal walls of the vessel. In this way they cause the degeneration of the arterial walls.
Cerebral atherosclerosis mainly affects the major arterial trunks of the base of the brain (the internal carotids, vertebral arteries, cerebral artery, basilary artery).
The small branches on the surface of the brain cortex are rarely affected, even less the branches which penetrate the cortex.
Atherosclerotic changes in the blood vessels of the brain cause many subjective and objective disruptions.
The first symptoms encountered, and the most common ones include
Often patients complain of
One distinctive characteristic that may help in discerning these symptoms is
While conducting intellectual work, patients:
When the damaged cerebral vessels increase in number or in area that has been damaged, a significant reduction in intellect is noticeable.
It is in the nature of the tissue that makes up the arteries to become narrower with the passage of time, but there are certain factors which significantly speed this process up:
Since atherosclerosis is the main cause of a thrombotic insult, the preliminary medication of the former is especially important, since diagnosing and treating atherosclerosis at an early stage lowers the risk for cerebral ischemia significantly.
The cause of these insults usually involves some sort of heart rate disorder, like
Atrial fibrillation causes the heart stop working rhythmically, meaning the contractions of the heart are irregular. In this way, during incomplete short contractions blood is not completely pumped out of the chambers in the heart.
Thus a small portion of blood pools in the chambers.
This can cause the formation of small blood clots (thrombuses). These small clots may become picked up by the flow of blood during the following contractions, and migrate to different organs. They may migrate to the brain and obstruct a blood vessel there.
Strokes occur suddenly and all at once; they pose a very serious threat to a patient’s life. This condition requires immediate medical attention.
A stroke is a very severe condition. Immediate medical attention is necessary; the medical staff usually conducts a series of examinations and medical procedures to offer first aid.
Due to another disease or condition, a blood vessel in a certain area of the brain may rupture (break) and cause the blood to spread to the surrounding tissue and damage it.
At the onset of a stroke, a few main symptoms should be notices, which are easy to remember by using the acronym F.A.S.T. (Face, Arms, Speech, Time).
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when a portion of the heart is deprived of oxygen due to blockage of a coronary artery. A stroke is a medical condition medical condition that occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off.
A person’s emotional state is an important factor in the function and development of their daily activities. Anxiety, depression and stress are conditions which compromise and affect a person’s daily life.
Risk factors for stroke, that are worth mentioning include: Atherosclerosis (Depositing of lipids in the lumen of blood vessels in the form of plaques), High blood pressure, Lack of physical activity, Obesity, Continuous consumption of alcohol, Smoking, etc.
It could occur that prior to a patient experiencing a stroke, they may experience warning signs. A few days or weeks in advance they may experience light symptoms such as unusual headaches, a light lip distortion, numbness in the arm or leg, vertigo, brief loss of vision, difficulties articulating, amnesia, etc.
There are different types of Stroke, they include: brain stroke of the ischemic type, brain stroke due to hemorrhage (cerebral hemorrhage) and hemorrhages due to the rupture of blood vessels or due to vascular malformation, etc.
A stroke due to a hemorrhage occurs more rarely than a cerebral ischemia. The major cause for this type of stroke is arterial hypertension.
The causes of Transitory Ischemia include: a blood clot, the narrowing of blood vessels in the brain, diabetes, high cholesterol levels.
Hypertensive encephalopathy is an acute syndrome during which severe hypertension is accompanied by headaches, nausea and vomiting, confusion, convulsions, stupor (somnolence) and coma, and other transitory neurological symptoms.
Shortly after the patient arrives at the hospital, physicians look for the typical symptoms of a stroke. These symptoms involve; Symptoms evident in the face, its retraction to one side (the face seems to droop on one side), problems with the limbs, (usually arms), hands and legs are numb or cannot be moved, etc.
A Stroke can be Ischemic or Hemorrhagic. Since these two types of stroke develop via different mechanisms, the treatment is accordingly different. Important for the treatment of strokes is preventing the disease a long time in advance.
A stroke is a serious and life-threatening medical condition that occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off. Strokes are a medical emergency and urgent treatment is essential because the sooner a person receives treatment for a stroke, the less damage is likely to happen.
A stroke is a severe condition and a serious threat, which requires immediate medical intervention. This disease is a major cause for invalidity and mortality in the world. Strokes are ranked third in the world in regards to mortality.
If you suspect that you or someone else is having a stroke, phone 999 immediately and ask for an ambulance. Even if the symptoms of a stroke disappear while you are waiting for the ambulance to arrive, you or the person having the stroke should still go to hospital for an assessment.
There are two main types of stroke - ischaemic strokes and haemorrhagic strokes - which affect the brain in different ways and can have different causes. Ischaemic strokes are the most common type of stroke.
Strokes are usually diagnosed by carrying out physical tests and studying images of the brain produced during a scan. Even if the physical symptoms of a stroke are obvious, brainscans should also be carried out to determine: if the stroke has been caused by a blocked artery (ischaemic stroke) or burst blood vessel (haemorrhagic stroke), which part of the brain has been affected, how severe the stroke is.
Effective treatment of stroke can prevent long-term disability and save lives. If your blood pressure is too high, you may be offered medicines to lower it. Medicines that are commonly used include: thiazide diuretics, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, calcium channel blockers, beta-blockers, alpha-blockers. Some ischaemic strokes are caused by narrowing of an artery in the neck called the carotid artery, which carries blood to the brain. The narrowing, known as carotid stenosis, is caused by a build-up of fatty plaques.
Two of the mostcommon psychological problems that can affect people after a stroke are: Depression many people experience intense bouts of crying and feel hopeless and withdrawn from social activities, anxiety where people experience general feelings of fear and anxiety, sometimes punctuated by intense, uncontrolled feelings of anxiety (anxiety attacks). The injury to the brain caused by a stroke can lead to widespread and long-lasting problems.
The best way to prevent a stroke is to eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly, and avoid smoking and excessive consumption of alcohol. Ensuring a balance in your diet is important. If you have not fully recovered from your stroke, you may find that you will have become particularly sensitive to alcohol and even the recommended safe limits as above for the general population may be too much for you.
Jim Whyte was forced to give up work after having a stroke, but he's proved that there is life after a stroke. Jim had high blood pressure and was diabetic, which are both risk factors for stroke. However, he had never smoked and, due to his diabetes, was already following the healthy diet recommended for stroke survivors.
Having a stroke on the first day of his summer holiday was the last thing Stephen Harnet expected, especially as he was a healthy 32-year-old at the time. It turned out that the stroke was due to a condition I was born with called AVM (arteriovenous malformation), which is a tangle of abnormal blood vessels (arteries and veins), and can affect the brain and lead to a stroke. Before the stroke I was a technical manager working 12-hour days, seven days a week.
David Diston had a major stroke that left him paralysed down his right side and unable to speak. Now he has made a near total recovery, and has even run a marathon. He woke up in an assessment ward at Swindons Princess Margaret Hospital. He had no feeling or movement down his right side, and he couldn't speak. After a few days, he was moved to a specialist stroke unit where the doctors explained that he would have to learn to speak, write and walk again from scratch.
Manjit Bains was just 26 when he had a stroke. Determination, support from his family and friends and rehabilitation helped him get his life. "This hasn't been a solo journey. I've had a lot of support, including psychologists and counselling. After intensive care I was nursed on a medical ward at the hospital where I had been working."
Before June/ 17/ 2000, Jane Stokes CBE was a successful lawyer with a 25-year career in the civil service. She says her lifestyle may have raised her risk of a stroke. As a smoker, she had developed a two-pack-a-day habit. She drank moderately and neglected her fitness when her career began to take over. Recovery is a long process.