Stroke

What is Stroke?
Stroke is prompted by a blocked blood vessel or bleeding in the brain. The signs of a stroke include an immediate grinding headache, weakness, numbness, vision problems, confusion, trouble walking or talking, dizziness and slurred speech.
When a stroke happens, the blood supply to part of the brain is suddenly interrupted. Brain cells die when they no longer get oxygen and nutrients from the blood or there is immediate bleeding into or around the brain.
The two forms of stroke are:

  • Ischemic -- blockage of a blood vessel supplying the brain, and in an ischemic stroke, a blood clot blocks or plugs a blood vessel or artery in the brain. About 80% of all strokes are ischemic.
  • Haemorrhagic -- bleeding into or around the brain. In a haemorrhagic stroke, a blood vessel in the brain breaks and bleeds into the brain. About 20% of strokes are haemorrhagic.



Transient ischemic attack (TIA)
A transient ischemic attack (TIA) — sometimes known as a mini-stroke — 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.
Like an ischemic stroke, a TIA occurs when a clot or debris blocks blood flow to part of your nervous system — but there is no permanent tissue damage and no lasting symptoms.


Symptoms of a Stroke
You should consider these symptoms warning signs and consult your health care provider:

  • Sudden weakness or numbness in the face, arm, or leg on one side of the body.
  • Abrupt loss of vision, strength, coordination, sensation, speech, or the ability to understand speech. These symptoms may become worse over time.
  • Sudden dimness of vision, especially in one eye.
  • Sudden loss of balance, possibly accompanied by vomiting, nausea, fever, hiccups, or trouble with swallowing.
  • Sudden and severe headache with no other cause followed rapidly by loss of consciousness -- indications of a stroke due to bleeding.
  • Brief loss of consciousness.
  • Unexplained dizziness or sudden falls.



Risk Factors
There are things you can do to lower your risk of stroke. High blood pressure increases your risk of stroke four to six times. Heart disease, especially a condition known as atrial fibrillation or AF, can double your risk of stroke. Your risk also increases if you smoke, have diabetes, sickle cell disease, high cholesterol, or a family history of stroke.


Lifestyle risk factors

  • Being overweight or obese
  • Physical inactivity
  • Heavy or binge drinking
  • Use of illicit drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamines



Treatment & Care
Everyone who has had a stroke or who is at risk of stroke needs to know about stroke treatment and care.
Thrombolysis: Thrombolysis, also known as thrombolytic therapy, is a treatment to dissolve dangerous clots in blood vessels, improve blood flow, and prevent damage to tissues and organs.
Medications: A wide range of medicines is used for people who have had a stroke or are at high risk of having one. Click here to learn about them.


Treatment for Stroke
Generally, there are three treatment stages for stroke: prevention, therapy immediately after the stroke, and post-stroke rehabilitation. Therapies to prevent a first or recurrent stroke are based on treating an individual's underlying risk factors for stroke, such as high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation, and diabetes. Acute stroke therapies try to stop a stroke while it is happening by quickly dissolving the blood clot causing an ischemic stroke or by stopping the bleeding of a haemorrhagic stroke. Post-stroke rehabilitation helps individuals overcome disabilities that result from stroke damage. Medication or drug therapy is the most common treatment for stroke. The most popular classes of drugs used to prevent or treat stroke are antithrombotic (antiplatelet drugs and anticoagulants or "blood thinners") and thrombolytics.


Complications
A stroke can sometimes cause temporary or permanent disabilities, depending on how long the brain lacks blood flow and which part was affected, which includes-

  • Paralysis or loss of muscle movement.
  • Difficulty talking or swallowing.
  • Memory loss or thinking difficulties.
  • Emotional problems.
  • Pain. Pain, numbness or other strange sensations may occur
  • Changes in behaviour and self-care ability.

Why can't some victims identify stroke symptoms?
Because stroke injures the brain, one is not able to perceive one's own problems correctly. To a bystander, the stroke patient may seem unaware or confused. A stroke victim's best chance is if someone around her recognizes the stroke and acts quickly.


Stroke Rehabilitation
The goal of stroke rehabilitation is to help you relearn skills you lost when a stroke affected part of your brain. Stroke rehabilitation can help you regain independence and improve your quality of life.


Factors that affect the outcome of stroke rehabilitation-
Stroke recovery varies from person to person. It's hard to predict how many abilities you might recover and how soon. In general, successful stroke rehabilitation depends on:

  • Physical factors, including the severity of your stroke in terms of both cognitive and physical effects
  • Emotional factors, such as your motivation and mood, and your ability to stick with rehabilitation activities outside of therapy sessions
  • Social factors, such as the support of friends and family
  • Therapeutic factors, including an early start to your rehabilitation and the skill of your stroke rehabilitation team

The rate of recovery is generally greatest in the weeks and months after a stroke. However, there is evidence that performance can improve even 12 to 18 months after a stroke.