What is Stroke Symptoms

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Stroke is the result of damage to the brain. This damage results in the temporary or permanent inability of a part of the brain to function either due to a hemorrhage or acute blood deficiency.

What is Stroke Symptoms

A stroke is a sudden event that temporarily or permanently interferes with the functioning of the brain.

Strokes vary in severity from short-term muscle weakness to more severe cases that can lead to death.

Strokes are the third most common cause of death in developed countries. It mostly happens in older people. However, one type (subarachnoid hemorrhage) affects young people. The annual incidence of stroke is approximately 1 in every 500 people.

There are two general types of stroke:

Brain hemorrhage: bleeding into or around the brain.

Brain thrombosis: blockage of blood vessels in the brain (usually by a blood clot).

Brain hemorrhage is usually more serious and is a common cause of sudden unexpected death. Strokes are often preceded by warning transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), also known as “mini-strokes”. These should never be neglected.

symptoms

The first sign of a brain hemorrhage is usually a sudden, severe headache. Immediately after this, there is a loss of function in a part of the body; for example, paralysis on one side of the body, visual loss on one side, fixed eyes turning to one side, and sometimes a major seizure of the epileptic type.

Other symptoms include:

weakness in one half of the body,

speech difficulties (aphasia),

lack of understanding,

temporary loss of vision,

mobility impairment (hemiplegia)

dizziness (vertigo),

nausea,

vomiting,

headache,

loss of hearing,

loss of memory,

gradual changes in personality and mind,

difficulty swallowing,

numbness,

loss of consciousness, and

epileptic seizures.

Often, consciousness is initially lost and if the bleeding is profuse, consciousness may not be regained. More than half of people affected in this way die within a few hours or days. Those who regain consciousness often have some degree of paralysis. The stroke can be severe. Lighter bleeds (and often cerebral thrombosis) cause less damage to the brain and may not lose consciousness at all; only signs of damage to the nervous system, such as paralysis or mobility impairment, are seen. The worst phase of the condition is almost always immediately after the stroke. However, as the swollen brain tissue (edema) in the area of the injury heals, the condition begins to improve. The swelling temporarily inhibits the functioning of the nerves. As the swelling decreases, nerve functions are also restored.

As a result of the reabsorption of the released blood, the patient recovers to some extent. During the healing process, there is a slow but usually significant improvement. If there is no other bleeding, the result may be good. But there may be some permanent disability.

Causes

The major cause of stroke is artery disease, particularly atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries; layers of fat on the walls of blood vessels). Most strokes are caused by physical damage to a part of the brain due to narrowing of an artery, a blood clot (thrombosis), or internal or external bleeding.

Bleeding in the brain is usually caused by the rupture of a small artery that has been damaged or weakened by atherosclerosis under the influence of high blood pressure.

High blood pressure can lead to atherosclerosis and is a major risk factor for stroke. Bleeding can occur almost anywhere in the brain, and symptoms vary according to the location of the bleeding. The parts of the brain related to movement, sense, speech, and vision are close to each other. In cases where the effects are most pronounced, bleeding is in these parts. Bleeding in the lower part of the brain (brainstem) is very dangerous, as it contains vital functions such as breathing and heartbeat.

Small swellings (aneurysms) that form in the arteries at the bottom of the brain are a common cause of stroke in young people.

Brain thrombosis (blockage of a blood vessel), or a mild embolism (small blood or fatty tissue blocking a blood vessel) can have the same effects as a cerebral hemorrhage, but are usually much less serious and have a good recovery rate. Stroke due to thrombosis or recurrent embolism occurs in people with arteriosclerosis in the arteries or their branches in the neck, or those with heart valve disease. If the heart valves are diseased, the small blood clots that form there break free and move to the brain, causing a stroke.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis is made using symptoms and signs. The location of the brain injury can often be determined from the physical effects. In some cases, brain scans may be helpful.

Treatment

The aim of treatment after stroke is to return the patient to normal life as much as possible (rehabilitation). A person who is constantly trying to walk after a mild stroke is much more likely to regain their mobility than a patient lying in bed.

Stroke Units (hospital units dedicated to the care and rehabilitation of stroke patients) have been shown to contribute significantly to recovery; The same can be said for rehabilitation aids in the community.

Complications

These cover all brain functions and include:

paralysis of varying severity, usually affecting one side of the body

the sensory vessel that gives the appearance of a part of the body that "does not belong" there,

loss of vision,

difficulty understanding spoke the language,

difficulty speaking or both (aphasia),

loss of memory,

don't count

loss of ability to recognize objects by feeling,

urinary incontinence,

major changes in personality and,

difficulty swallowing.

Unfortunately, since all risk factors are usually still present after the first stroke, there is always the possibility of another stroke that will increase disability. Anyone who has had a stroke should know their risk factors and do their best to minimize them.

Disease Prevention

The best way to reduce the risk of stroke is a healthy lifestyle that includes good nutrition, weight control, regular exercise, and regular blood pressure checks. Not smoking is very important. Smokers have much more atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) than non-smokers. This has been demonstrated through many postmortem examinations. Smoking expands the pulse and raises circulatory strain. Both factors are associated with atherosclerosis. Hypertension is one of the principal hazard factors for stroke

Smoking causes an increase in the adhesion between cell fragments called platelets in the blood. These are necessary for blood to clot. Increased stickiness increases the tendency for thrombosis (clot formation in the vein). Carbon monoxide inhaled with smoke significantly reduces the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood.

People at high risk of developing a blood clot may be advised to reduce this risk and therefore stroke risk, by taking a medication such as aspirin or warfarin.

Individuals with headaches have a higher danger of stroke. A connection has been made between migraine, which is often worse in women, and fluctuating levels of estrogen hormone. If you have severe migraine with neurological symptoms (“classic” migraine), taking the combined contraceptive pill may increase the severity of the migraine and the risk of stroke. Neurological symptoms include speech and vision difficulties, as well as numbness or tingling of a limb or side of the body. If you have these symptoms, you should consider switching to a progesterone-only pill.