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Stroke is a leading cause of impairment of brain function in older adults. When someone has a stroke, the blood flow to part of the brain is impaired or stops
There are two types of stroke. An ischemic stroke is caused when a blood clot blocks an artery or vessel in your brain. Eighty percent of strokes are ischemic. A brain breaks and bleeds in the brain. During a stroke cells in the brain do not get the oxygen and nutrients they need and start to die.
Symptoms
- Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg especially on one side of the body.
- Sudden confusion or trouble peaking or understanding.
- Sudden trouble seeing on one or both eyes.
- Sudden trouble walking dizziness or loss of balance or coordination.
- Sudden, severe headache with no known cause.
Causes
- Interruption of blood supply to the brain due to the obstruction or rupture of a brain artery
If the result of an obstruction:
- Embolism - a clump of matter (usually a blood clot) goes to the bloodstream finds its way into a brain artery, usually from carotid arteries or the heart.
- Thrombosis - a blood that blocks a brain artery that has been narrowed by fatty deposits
If the result of a rupture:
- Hypertension or high blood pressure
- Congenitally (from birth) weak arterial walls, e.g., aneurysm
- Head injury (e.g., strong blow to the head in a traffic accident). However, the effect of head injury to the brain is generally more global compared to that of a stroke, which causes localized damage.
Complications
- Extended/long-term coma
- Severe physical impairment (like permanent paralysis/weakness of one side of the body)
- Severe mental impairment
- Death
What you can do?
The bystander’s responsibility:
- If you suspect a stroke or if a person vomits or feels drowsy after a head injury (signs of cerebral bleeding ), call an ambulance or take the person to the nearest hospital
- Give first aid immediately
Prevention Tips
- Have your blood pressure measured. If it is high, take steps to control it
- Keep your blood sugar under control
- If you smoke, stop.
- If you have coronary artery disease, manage it. Modify your diet be active and take your medications exactly the way they are prescribed
- A transient ischemic attack is a mini stroke, it has the same symptoms as a stroke but lasts only a few minutes. If you experience these, do not ignore them. They can be treated with medications or surgery
Watch this video and learn what to do when someone experience a Stroke
Watch this video animation explaining what is Stroke
Learn also how to position a Stroke Patient for rehabilitation and recovery.
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