Everything You Need to Know About Stroke

A stroke is as severe as a heart attack and sometimes, it is also called a brain attack. It occurs when the blood supply to your brain is hindered and the cells in the brain die suddenly because of a lack of oxygen and blood. This condition can occur in any age group, including children, but its risk increases as you get older.

A stroke needs timely treatment to avoid serious complications like brain hemorrhage. Here are a few important things that you need to know about this health condition:

Types of Strokes:

There are two types of strokes:

• Ischemic Stroke:

This stroke is caused by blood clotting, which hinders the supply of blood and oxygen to the brain cells. Due to lack of blood supply, the brain cells die and cause Ischemic stroke.

• Hemorrhage Stroke:

A hemorrhage stroke occurs when a weak blood vessel in the brain bursts and causes bleeding. The excessive amount of blood puts pressure on brain cells and eradicates them. Around 15 percent of strokes are hemorrhage strokes.

Symptoms of Stroke:

The main symptoms of a stroke are:

• Trouble speaking or understanding even simple things: Stroke patients may face a lot of confusion, slur their words, or face difficulty in understanding what other people are saying.
• Sudden numbness on the face, arm, or leg (known as paralysis): Patients may develop paralysis, weakness, or numbness in the arm, leg, or face. Most often, this affects only one side of the body. Also, when they try to smile, one side of the mouth may sag.
• Loss of vision: Patients face a problem with seeing in either one eye or both eyes. They may experience blackened or blurred vision or may have double vision.
• Sudden severe headache: Stroke sufferers may have a sudden onset of severe headache along with dizziness, altered consciousness, and vomiting. 
• Trouble walking, dizziness, or loss of balance: They may lose balance or stumble and face a loss of coordination.

If you are facing any of the given symptoms, don’t wait for it to improve or worsen. All you need to do is seek immediate medical assistance and avoid a lifelong disability.

Risk Factors

Several factors can increase the risk of a stroke attack in a person. The possible factors include:

• Medical Risk Factors

1. Smoking
2. Exposure to second-hand smoke
3. High blood pressure
4. Diabetes
5. High cholesterol
6. COVID-19 infection
7. Obstructive sleep apnoea
8. Family or personal history of stroke, transient ischemic attack, or heart attack
9. Cardiovascular diseases such as heart defects, heart failure, abnormal heart rhythm, or heart infection

• Lifestyle Factors

1. Being obese or overweight
2. Overuse of alcohol
3. Physical inactivity
4. Use of drugs such as methamphetamine and cocaine

• Other Factors

1. Race: African Americans are at a higher risk of getting stroke when compared to people of other races.
2. Age: People over 55 years old are at a higher risk than younger people.
3. Hormones: People undergoing hormone therapies or using birth control pills with estrogen have a higher risk.
4. Sex: Men are at a higher risk than women.

Prevention:

You can prevent stroke by adopting a healthy lifestyle. If you have a stroke or an ischemic attack, the following steps may help prevent another stroke.

• Control high blood pressure
• Eat lots of vegetables and lower the amount of saturated fat in your diet
• Quit tobacco and alcohol
• Manage diabetes
• Exercise regularly

When to Seek Medical Attention?

If you think someone might have a stroke based on their symptoms, think ‘FAST’ and act immediately. If you find any of the below signs, seek emergency medical attention:

• Face: If the person’s face droops when he or she smiles
• Arms: If he or she is unable to raise one arm or if one arm drifts downwards
• Speech: If the person speaks in a slurred way or in a strange way
• Time: If you notice any of these indications, act quickly and seek immediate medical care

Stroke Treatment:

Emergency stroke treatment depends on the kind of stroke you have experienced as different factors cause different strokes.

• Ischemic Stroke Treatment:

In ischemic stroke, doctors will immediately restore blood flow to your brain with the following treatments:

• Emergency IV Medication
• Emergency Endovascular Procedures

• Haemorrhagic Stroke Treatment:

In this stroke treatment, doctors may focus on controlling the bleeding and reducing the pressure in the brain caused by excessive blood flow. Treatment options for hemorrhagic stroke include:

• Surgery
• Endovascular Embolization
• Surgical AVM Removal 
• Stereotactic Radiosurgery

Now that you have a good understanding of what stroke is, its types, symptoms, and more, keep a watch on any possible symptoms that you may be experiencing.