A stroke can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime. It does not give you any warning signals. You must act quickly to reduce brain damage and avoid disability.
TIMAGO, as a responsible leader, dedicates the month of March to the topic of stroke and will try to help by introducing it and proposing solutions that can help you deal with its effects.
What in fact is a stroke?
A stroke is a failure of the blood circulation that affects part of an area of the brain and causes nerve cells to die. A stroke can shock or cause you to lose consciousness. For most people, there is no warning signal that precedes it.
Types of strokes
There are 3 types of strokes:
1) ischemic stroke - which accounts for about 80% of cases. In his case, the artery is most often closed and the blood supply to the brain is reduced;
2) hemorrhagic stroke - about 20% of cases, is caused by an intracerebral or subarachnoid hemorrhage;
3) venous stroke - occurring in less than 1% of cases, is a consequence of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis.
There may be times when the obstruction of the cerebral artery is only temporary and the problem will resolve itself naturally, leaving no side effects. This phenomenon is called a micro-impact. The diagnosis is confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging. The symptoms are the same as for a "real" stroke, but disappear within an hour. Micro-stroke is an alarm signal that must be taken seriously: a stroke, sometimes more severe, can occur in the next 48 hours. Therefore, it is important to consult a doctor as soon as possible.
Symptoms of a stroke
If you or someone close to you may have a stroke, pay close attention to when symptoms start. Some treatment options depend on when they are implemented after a stroke.
Symptoms of a stroke include:
- Trouble speaking or understanding what other people are saying. You may experience difficulty understanding speech or you may have trouble speaking yourself.
- Paralysis or numbness of the face, arms, or legs. You may experience sudden numbness, weakness, or paralysis of the face, arm, or leg. Often only one side of the body is affected. Try to raise both hands above your head at the same time. If one arm begins to fall, you may have a stroke.
- Another symptom is that one side of your face will droop when you try to smile.
- Difficulty seeing in one or both eyes. You may suddenly see blurry or have dark spots in your field of vision in one or both eyes, or you may have double vision.
- Headache. Sudden and severe headache, which may be accompanied by vomiting, dizziness, or loss of consciousness, may indicate a stroke.
- Trouble walking. You may stumble or lose your balance. You may also experience sudden dizziness or loss of coordination.
When to call an ambulance?
Seek immediate medical attention if you notice any symptoms of a stroke, even if they appear and wear off or disappear entirely.
If you suspect someone in your presence may be having a stroke, act quickly and check:
U - speech impeded. Ask to repeat a simple phrase. Is the speech slurred or strange?
D - hand lowered. Ask the person to raise both hands. Does one hand go down? Or maybe he can't raise one hand?
A - lip asymmetry. Ask that person to smile. Will one side of the face drop?
R - blurred vision. Ask if he can see clearly.
Time is of the essence. If you notice any of these symptoms, immediately call the emergency number immediately!
Don't wait to see if your symptoms stop. Every minute counts. The longer a stroke is left untreated, the greater the risk of brain damage and disability.
The effects of a stroke
Strokes have very different consequences. It depends on how extensive the brain region has been affected and what functions it controls. After a stroke, some people may have speech or writing difficulties (aphasia) and memory problems. They may also have more or less significant body paralysis. When nerve cells are deprived of oxygen, even for a few minutes, they die and will never regenerate. However, the brain does have some adaptability. Healthy nerve cells can sometimes take over the functions of dead cells when stimulated by various exercises.
Causes of strokes
The most common causes of strokes include:
- atherosclerosis, i.e. the formation of lipid plaques on the wall of blood vessels;
- high blood pressure - over time, the abnormal pressure exerted by the blood against the wall of the blood vessels can cause them to rupture. A rupture in an artery in the brain can also be caused by the presence of an aneurysm.
It is not always possible to pinpoint the exact cause of a stroke. However, it's important that doctors look for it to reduce the risk of a recurrence.
The following factors also affect your risk of having a stroke:
- high levels of LDL cholesterol (short for low-density lipoprotein called "bad cholesterol") or triglycerides contribute to atherosclerosis and hardening of the arteries;
- dyslipidemi - a disease causing lipid disorders (abnormal apoliprotein B to A1 ratio; ApoB / ApoA1 ratio);
- smoking - which contributes to atherosclerosis. In addition, nicotine raises blood pressure, and carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke reduces the amount of oxygen reaching the brain;
- obesity;
- inadequate diet;
- physical inactivity;
- chronic stress;
- excess alcohol or drug use;
- taking oral contraceptives - especially for women at risk and over 35 years of age;
- diabetes - contributes to atherosclerosis and reduces the body's ability to dissolve blood clots;
- heart disease - people with heart problems (abnormal heart valves, heart failure or abnormal heart rhythm) and people who have recently had a heart attack are prone to a stroke. Atrial fibrillation, a form of cardiac arrhythmia, is especially dangerous because it causes the blood to stagnate in the heart. This causes a blood clot to form. If these clots travel to the arteries of the brain they can cause a stroke;
- sleep apnea - can raise blood pressure and contribute to blood clots;
- migraines with aura.
Anyone with close relatives who have had a stroke should also be careful.
How can I prevent a stroke?
Most strokes can be prevented by lifestyle changes.
Principles of a healthy lifestyle:
1) do not smoke;
2) avoid excess alcohol;
3) find a way to take up daily physical activity;
4) maintain a healthy weight;
5) Make good food choices: Diet affects several risk factors for stroke. Limit salt (less than 1.2 g per day) and eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and other foods rich in potassium; change if necessary.
Treatment of a stroke
If the artery is blocked and there is a risk of irreversible damage to the brain, a medicine is given to help dissolve the clots quickly (within an hour or two). To be effective, it must be injected intravenously within 3 to 4.5 hours after the stroke. Several hours after a haemorrhagic stroke, anticoagulant or anti-platelet medications are often administered. This helps to prevent the formation of new clots in the arteries or the enlargement of the clots. Once your stroke has stabilized, your doctor will usually suggest you use lighter medications such as aspirin daily for longer periods. Depending on the type of stroke and the patient's health condition, the doctor selects the appropriate drugs that should be taken due to the cause of the stroke and to support rehabilitation.
Once the stroke has stabilized, tests are performed to find out if other arteries are also clogged due to atherosclerosis. It may turn out that an operation is necessary, e.g. endarterectomy, i.e. cleaning the carotid artery of atherosclerotic plaques, angioplasty, placing a balloon or stent in the artery, and in extreme cases even brain surgery.
After a stroke, rehabilitation is needed in most cases. Its purpose is to train the nerve cells of the intact part of the brain to perform functions that were used by other nerve cells before a stroke.
The scale of the problem
About 1.1 million people in Europe experience a stroke each year, with ischemic strokes accounting for around 80% of all cases. The number of people affected by stroke at an increasingly younger age is growing every year.
The TIMAGO team is aware of the scale of the problem and that is why we devote March to get to know the core of thjis problem. On our website, we have created the "Stroke solutions" tab, where you can find products that will help when we have to deal with this problem in our environment.
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