Stroke

Stroke/Mini Stroke 
Stroke is a major health problem throughout the world, 
accounting for 10 to 15 per cent of all deaths.

A stroke is a condition in which the brain cells suddenly 

die because of a lack of oxygen. 

A stroke can be caused by an obstruction in the blood flow, or the rupture 

of  an artery that feeds the brain.

The patient may suddenly lose the ability to speak, there may be memory 

problems, or one side of the body can become paralyzed.

Who gets stroke?

Anyone can suffer from stroke. Although many risk factors are out of our control, 

several can be kept in line through proper nutrition and medical care.

Risk factors for stroke include the following:

Age - as you get older your risk increases.

Being male.

A family history of stroke.

High blood pressure.

High cholesterol.

Smoking cigarettes.

Diabetes.

Obesity and overweight.

A previous stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA).

High levels of homocysteine (an amino acid in blood).

Divorced men have a higher risk of stroke.

Heavy use of alcohol

Researchers from the University of Lille Nord de France, Lille, France, reported in the journal Neurology that heavy regular drinkers have a considerably higher risk of stroke early in life compared to others.

Depression

Middle-aged women with clinical depression have a higher risk of stroke, researchers from the University of Queensland, Australia, reported in the journal Stroke.

The authors gathered data on 10,547 Australian females aged from 47 to 52 years. They found that women with depression are more likely to have a stroke by a factor of 2.4, compared to women without depression.

Even after taking into account known stroke risk factors, depressed middle-aged women were still 1.9 times more likely to have a stroke.

Caroline Jackson, Ph.D., said "When treating women, doctors need to recognize the serious nature of poor mental health and what effects it can have in the long term. Current guidelines for stroke prevention tend to overlook the potential role of depression."

The researchers emphasized that although the risk was higher for women with depression, their total risk of stroke was still low.

What is Stroke?

Stroke is a medical emergency and a leading cause of death in the U.S. It occurs when 
a blood vessel in  the brain bursts or, more commonly, when a blockage develops. 
Without treatment, cells in the brain quickly  begin to die. The result can be serious 
disability or death. If a loved one is having stroke symptoms,  seek emergency medical 
attention without delay.

Signs, symptoms and treatment

If a stroke has occurred, treatment should begin as soon as the stroke is diagnosed 

to ensure that no further damage to the brain occurs. Initially, the doctor may administer

 oxygen and insert an intravenous drip to provide the affected person with adequate nutrients and fluids.

Older stroke victims are getting a raw deal from the age discrimination that dominates the Health Service, researchers claim. They say younger patients receive a better level of care, including more diagnostic tests and lifestyle advice. The study, by doctors at Mayday University Hospital, Croydon, South London, assessed the treatment given ....read more>>

Stroke is the sudden loss of brain function. It is a med­ical emergency that may result in paralysis, severe brain damage, or death. Most strokes occur when a blood clot or some other material blocks the flow of blood to the brain, interrupting the brain's supply of oxygen and nutrients. If the blockage persists for more than a few minutes, permanent brain damage occurs. Strokes may also result when a blood vessel ruptures and causes bleeding into the brain or into the fluid around the brain. The bleeding produces pressure that damages brain tissue, resulting in the loss of function.

Stroke is a major health problem throughout the world, accounting for 10 to 15 per cent of all deaths. It is the third leading cause of death in industrial countries, behind heart disease and cancer. Most people who sur­vive their first stroke soon regain some lost brain func­tion and may regain more over several years. Victims of two or more strokes are more often disabled. Most stroke victims are age 65 or older.

Symptoms of stroke depend on the areas of the brain affected. The most common symptoms include sudden weakness, loss of sensation on one side of the body, partial loss of vision, dizziness, slurred speech, mental confusion, and personality changes. Symptoms commonly worsen over the next several hours or days. For this reason, stroke patients should be hospitalized.

In some patients, the progression of symptoms leads to coma and death. In some minor strokes, symptoms dis­appear in less than a day. Such transient ischaemic at­tacks (TiA's) often precede more serious strokes.

Causes. The majority of strokes are caused by block-age of blood circulation to the brain. Such blockage may result from either cerebral thrombosis or cerebral em­bolism. Cerebral thrombosis occurs when a blood clot forms in one of the major blood vessels supplying the brain. It is most often associated with atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) in the brain or the neck. Fac­tors that increase the risk of cerebral thrombosis from atherosclerosis include hypertension (high blood pres­sure), diabetes, high blood levels of cholesterol, and cigarette smoking (see Arteriosclerosis). Cerebral em­bolism involves a clot that forms in another part of the body, usually the heart or a major artery. The clot is then carried in the bloodstream until it lodges in a blood ves­sel that supplies the brain. Cerebral embolism is com­mon in patients with heart disease and atherosclerosis of the large arteries.

Another major cause of strokes is cerebral haemor­rhage, bleeding into the brain from a ruptured blood vessel. Cerebral haemorrhage can be caused by hyper­tension, malformations of the brain's arteries and veins, or especially in elderly people, disease of brain arteries (see Cerebral haemorrhage). Strokes also may result from bleeding into the cerebrospinal fluid. This kind of bleeding is called subarachnoid haemorrhage. It often results from a cerebral aneurysm, a defect in the wall of a blood vessel in the brain.

Prevention. To avoid strokes, people with high blood pressure should take measures to reduce their blood pressure by changing their diet or by taking med­ication, as directed by their doctor. In many people with atherosclerosis or irregular heartbeats, doctors pre­scribe taking aspirin daily to help prevent stroke.

Drugs called anti-coagulants thin the blood and can help prevent strokes in patients with certain types of heart disease. Patients with severe atherosclerosis and narrowing of the large arteries, especially the carotid ar­teries in the neck, may benefit from a surgical proce­dure called carotidendarterectomy. This procedure re­moves the hardened inner lining of the carotid arteries, allowing blood to flow freely and preventing the forma­tion of clots in the arteries.

Diagnosis and treatment. Doctors diagnose stroke from the patient's symptoms. After reaching a diagnosis, the doctor tries to establish the cause and location of the stroke. Treatment is based on preventing complica­tions and reducing the risk of a second stroke. Depend­ing on the disability suffered, stroke victims can develop pneumonia, bed sores, infections, and abnormal heart rhythms.

Rehabilitation. The goal of stroke rehabilitation is to help victims regain lost physical function. The success of rehabilitation depends mainly on the patient's ability to cooperate with therapists. Stroke patients work chiefly with physiotherapists, speech therapists, and occupa­tional therapists. Physiotherapists help paralysed stroke patients move their arms and legs to prevent muscle stiffening. Physiotherapists use exercises and treatment with heat, water, and massage to help patients perform daily tasks. Speech therapists help stroke victims who have lost speech. Occupational therapists help patients coordinate hand and eye movements to perform such basic tasks as writing and preparing food. See Physio­therapy; Speech therapy; Occupational therapy.

Scientists have conducted much research on how the brain recovers its ability to function. Such research offers hope that someday all stroke victims will be able to regain full use of their brain. See also Aphasia; Hypertension.