Author:
Robert Simon
Date Of Creation:
18 June 2021
Update Date:
24 June 2024
Content
According to the National Stroke Association, about 800,000 people have a stroke each year. One person dies from stroke every four minutes, but 80% of strokes are preventable. Stroke ranks fifth on the list of leading causes of death and a major cause of disability among adults in the United States. There are three types of stroke with similar symptoms but different treatments. A stroke occurs when blood supply to part of the brain is suddenly blocked and the cells cannot receive oxygen. Without immediate blood supply restored, brain cells will die, resulting in a physical or mental impairment. Identification of symptoms and risk factors is essential for prompt medical intervention in case of stroke.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Spot Signs and Symptoms
Weak muscles of the face or extremities. The person may not be able to hold an object or suddenly lose balance while standing. Look for signs that one side of the person's face or body is weakening. Part of the mouth may become droopy when smiling or the person may not be able to raise both hands above their head.
Confusion or problems with pronunciation or comprehension. When a certain part of the brain is affected, that person will have problems with pronunciation and hearing other people's words. The person may be quite confused hearing what you have to say, reacting in a way that shows they don't understand, lisp or say confusing words unrelated to the conversation. This behavior can be very serious. Call the emergency number, then try to calm the person.- There are also cases where the person cannot say anything.
Ask if the person has a vision problem in one eye or on both sides. When you have a stroke, your vision will suddenly be severely affected. Can't see anything in one eye or both sides (if the person can't tell, ask them to nod or shake their head if possible).- You may notice that the person turns to the left to see what is happening within left eye field of view with his right eye.
Look for loss of coordination or loss of balance. When a person's arms or legs lose strength, you may find that he or she has difficulty with balance and coordination. The person may not be able to pick up the pen, or walk because one leg is unable to function properly.
- You may find that they lose strength or suddenly slip or fall.
Sudden severe headache. A stroke is also known as a "brain attack" and can lead to a sudden headache, considered the most severe headache a person has ever experienced. It can be accompanied by nausea and vomiting due to increased pressure in the brain.
Watch out for transient ischemic symptoms (TIA). A TIA happens similarly to a stroke (often called a "mild stroke") but lasts less than five minutes and leaves no lasting damage. However, it is still an urgent condition that needs evaluation and treatment to reduce your risk of developing a stroke. Stroke is at higher risk occurring within hours or days after TIA symptoms appear. Doctors believe that these symptoms are caused by a blockage of a brain artery in a short period of time.
- About 20% of patients with TIAs will have a stroke within 90 days, and about 2% of this stroke group will occur within 2 days.
- Over time, a TIA can lead to multiple infarction dementia (MID) or dementia.
Memorize the acronym FAST. FAST stands for Face, Arm, Speech, and Time, which prompts you for expressions to check when you suspect someone is at risk of a sudden attack. Stroke is just as important as time. If you notice any of the above, call your local emergency number immediately. The person's treatment and effectiveness will depend on the minute.
- Face: Ask the person to smile to see if one side of their face is drooping.
- Arms: Ask the person to raise both hands. Can they do it? Is their one hand pointing downward?
- Speech: Has that person been stifled? Can they say it? Was the person confused when asked to repeat a short sentence ??
- Time: Call the local emergency number right away in case of these symptoms. Don't hesitate.
Method 2 of 3: Treatment of a stroke
Take the appropriate action. If you or someone around you experiences the above symptoms, seek emergency medical treatment right away. All of the above symptoms signal the risk of stroke.
- You should still call the medical center near you whether these symptoms disappear quickly or without causing pain.
- Note the time you first found symptoms to help health care workers determine the right treatment.
Provides all information from the medical history and the results of the examination to the doctor. Even in the case of an emergency, the doctor will thoroughly and quickly examine the entire history and examination results before proceeding with testing and treatment. Here are some of the medical tests that may be used:
- Computerized tomography (CT) scan, a type of X-ray technique that allows detailed imaging of the brain after a stroke.
- Magnetic resonance (MRI) identifies damaged areas of the brain and can be used in place of or in conjunction with CT scans.
- The carotid artery ultrasound, a painless procedure for the patient, is used to check for the narrowing of the carotid artery. This is extremely helpful after a TIA as it leaves no brain damage. If the doctor finds that the blockage level is 70%, the patient will need surgery to prevent stroke.
- Carotid angiography is done using a dye-injected tube and x-ray to capture the carotid artery.
- An ultrasound of the heartbeat (EKG), which will allow your doctor to evaluate your heart's health and risk factors for stroke.
- The blood test will be used to check for signs of low blood sugar, a marker of stroke, and potential blood clotting, which indicates a high risk of brain bleeding stroke.
Identify the types of stroke. Although the symptoms and effects of stroke are the same, there are different types of strokes. The way they happen and the treatments are also completely different. Your doctor will determine the type of stroke based on the test results.
- Cerebral bleeding stroke: A brain bleed stroke occurs when blood vessels in the brain rupture or leak. Blood will flow into or around the brain, depending on where the blood vessels are located, causing pressure and aneurysms of the brain artery. This in turn damages cells and tissues. Intracerebral hemorrhage is the most common type of cerebral bleeding stroke and occurs inside brain tissue when a blood vessel ruptures. Subarachnoid hemorrhage occurs due to blood flowing out around the brain and tissue surrounding the brain. This is called the subarachnoid cavity.
- Ischemic stroke: The most common type of stroke and accounts for about 83% of all diagnosed strokes. Ischemic stroke occurs when a blood clot (also called a thrombus) blocks a brain artery or atherosclerosis blocks blood and oxygen from circulating to cells and brain tissue, causing insufficient blood flow to the brain. (ischemic).
Urgent treatment for cerebral bleeding stroke. In the case of a brain bleed stroke, the doctor will quickly control the bleeding. Here are some of the treatments:
- Aneurysm vasectomy or intravascular intervention closes the aneurysm to prevent bleeding at the base of the aneurysm if that's the cause of the stroke.
- Surgery to drain the uncirculated blood into the brain tissue and to relieve pressure in the brain (often severe).
- Surgery to remove a venous malformation (AVM) if the AVM is in an accessible area. Stereotactic radiosurgery (Stereotactic radiosurgery) is an advanced minimally invasive method and is used to remove AVM.
- Arterial bypass surgery in the brain to increase blood flow in certain cases.
- Immediately stop taking blood-thinning medications, as this will make it harder to stop bleeding in the brain.
- Get supportive medical care when the blood re-circulates throughout the body, just like after a hematoma.
Drugs and treatments for ischemic stroke cases. Medications and medical treatment may be used to prevent stroke or damage to the brain. Some of them can be mentioned as:
- Tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) is used to dissolve blood clots in brain arteries. The drug is injected into the arm of a person who has had a thrombotic stroke. Medication must be used within four hours of the start of the stroke; the sooner the time will bring more positive results.
- Antiplatelet agents to prevent blood clotting and brain damage. However, this drug needs to be taken within 48 hours and it could put the person in greater danger if it is a hemorrhagic stroke, so an accurate diagnosis is needed before use.
- Cut off the inner coat or create carotid artery if the patient has heart disease. During this procedure, the surgeon removes the inner vest or carotid artery if it becomes clogged with membranes or becomes thick and stiff. This procedure opens the carotid artery and supplies the brain with oxygenated blood when the level of obstruction reaches at least 70%.
- Using Arterial Thrombolysis, where the surgeon inserts a catheter into the nasopharynx and threaded through the brain to inject medication directly into the area close to the thrombus to be removed.
Method 3 of 3: Identify the risks
Consider the age factor. Age is the most important risk risk factor when determining stroke risk. The risk of stroke nearly doubles every ten years after age 55.
Pay attention to previous strokes or TIAs. One of the greatest risks to stroke is if a person has had a stroke or a TIA (“minor stroke”) in the past. Work with your doctor to minimize other risk factors if you have experienced either of these before.
Note that women are more likely to die from a stroke. Although men typically have a higher rate of stroke, the death rate from stroke is higher for women. Using birth control pills also increases a woman's risk of stroke.
Be alert for atrial fibrillation (AF). Atrial fibrillation is an abnormally fast and weak heartbeat in the left atrium of the heart. Your doctor can diagnose AF with an electrocardiogram (ECG).
- Symptoms of AF include a feeling of wavering in the chest, chest pain, dizziness, shortness of breath, and fatigue.
Note the presence of venous arterial malformation (AVM). These deformities cause blood vessels in or around the brain to ignore normal tissue, increasing the risk of a stroke. Most AVM is genetic (but not genetic), and occurs in less than 1% of the population. However, AVM is more common in men than in women.
Testing for peripheral artery disease. Peripheral artery disease is a narrowing of the arteries that leads to blood clotting and reduces blood flow throughout the body.
- The leg artery will usually be the area to be affected.
- Peripheral artery disease is a major risk factor for stroke.
Be careful with blood pressure. High blood pressure puts excessive pressure on the arteries and other blood vessels. This can create weak spots that can easily rupture (stroke) or thin spots filled with blood and bulge out of the artery wall (called an aneurysm).
- Damage to the arteries can lead to blood clots and poor circulation, ischemic stroke.
Know your diabetes risk. If you have diabetes, you are at a higher risk of having a stroke due to diabetes-related health problems. If you have diabetes you are more likely to experience other health problems such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure and heart problems. All of these problems will increase your risk of stroke.
Lower cholesterol. High cholesterol is also a major risk risk factor for stroke. Cholesterol levels will lead to plaque build-up in the arteries and can interfere with blood circulation causing stroke. Maintain a diet that is low in trans fats to ensure the right amount of cholesterol.
Avoid smoking. Smoking can affect both the heart and blood vessels. In addition, nicotine increases blood pressure. All of these factors can increase your risk of stroke.
- Even exposure to secondhand smoke can increase the risk of stroke for non-smokers.
Minimize alcoholic beverages. Drinking too much alcohol can cause a lot of health problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes, problems that put you at higher risk of stroke.
- Alcohol causes platelets to clump up, which can lead to stroke or heart attack. Excessive alcohol consumption will also cause chronic heart disease (weakened heart muscle) and an irregular heartbeat, like atrial fibrillation, which can lead to blood clots forming and stroke.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that women drink at most one alcoholic beverage a day and up to 2 drinks per day for men.
Weight control to avoid obesity. Obesity can lead to a number of health conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure, which increase the risk of stroke.
Exercise to maintain good health. Regular exercise can help prevent some of the aforementioned problems such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. Try to do cardio exercise for at least 30 minutes a day.
Consider your family history. Some ethnic groups are at a higher risk of stroke than others. This is due to a variety of physical and genetic factors. Blacks, Hispanics (Hispanics), Native Americans, and Alaska natives are at a higher risk of having a stroke due to their natural nature.
- Black and Hispanic people are also at a higher risk of sickle cell disease than other groups of people. With this disease, the person's red blood cells tend to be abnormally shaped, causing them to become trapped in the bloodstream and possibly putting them at a higher risk of ischemic stroke.
Advice
- Remember FAST to assess the situation quickly and seek immediate professional help in case of a stroke.
- People with an ischemic stroke experience better results when they are treated within the first hour of symptom onset. Treatments may include medications and / or medical interventions.
Warning
- Although the TIA does not leave any lasting damage, it is a warning signal that a stroke or heart failure may be imminent. If you or a loved one experiences stroke-like symptoms that go away in just a few minutes, seek medical attention and treatment to reduce your risk of having a serious stroke.
- Although this article provides some medical information about stroke, the reader should not take it as a doctor's advice. Seek professional help right away if you think you or someone you love is at risk of having a stroke.
