THINK FAST!💨

Olivia Dahan
Oct 21, 2020
3 min read

In this week's blog we will be talking about STROKES

What is a stroke?

A stroke occurs when the blood supply to your brain is interrupted preventing brain tissue from getting oxygen and nutrients. Brain cells begin to die in minutes. However, early action can reduce brain damage.

Symptoms

Difficulty speaking
Difficulty understanding simple tasks
Difficulty with muscle strength, especially on one side of the body
Difficulty with numbness, especially on one side of the body
Severe headaches
Vision changes (in one or both eyes)
Difficulty with swallowing
Facial droop on one side
nausea/vomiting, seizures (more common for women)

If you notice any of these symptoms, think FAST:

Face. Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?

Arms. Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward? Or is one arm unable to rise?

Speech. Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Is his or her speech slurred or strange?

Time. If you observe any of these signs, call 911 or emergency medical help immediately.

Call 911 right away! Every second counts! Time lost=brain lost!

Causes

There are three causes for stroke

Ischemic strokes

***The most common type of strokes.

***They are caused by clots that reduce or stop blood flow to the brain. The clot may develop elsewhere in the body and circulate to become lodged in a blood vessel in the brain, or the clot may originate in the brain.

***Usually divided into two subtypes: thrombotic strokes (blood clots form in the brain due to a diseased or damaged cerebral artery) and embolic strokes (these blood clots start in the heart and travel until they become lodged in an artery of the brain = immediate neurological and physical damage).

***Treatments include: antiplatelet/anticoagulants medication 24-48 hours after stroke symptoms begin (the goal of these medications is to help prevent blood cell fragments from sticking together and forming clots), a mechanical thrombectomy ( insertion of a catheter into large blood vessel in your head to pull the clot out), stents (a procedure to inflate the narrowed artery and support the walls of the artery with a stent) and in rare cases surgery if any of the other treatments do not work.

Hemorrhagic stroke

***Hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel in your brain leaks or ruptures.

***Some causes: uncontrolled high blood pressure, over-treatment with blood thinners, trauma, ischemic stroke leading to hemorrhage.

***There are also two types of hemorrhagic strokes: intracerebral hemorrhage (caused by a diseased blood vessel bursting within the brain) and subarachnoid hemorrhage (bleeding immediately surrounding the brain in the area of the head called the subarachnoid space).

***Many factors can cause this type of stroke such as: high bp, aneurysms (they were discussed in my previous blog), overuse of anticoagulants, trauma, ischemic stroke that causes a hemorrhage.

***Treatments include medications to counteract any blood thinners you take (goal is to make your blood clot here), coiling procedure (doctors install a coiling device where the hemorrhage area is to block blood flow, reducing bleeding), clamping (if your doctor discovers an aneurysm, he will place tiny clamps at the base of the aneurysm to prevent blood flow supply), surgeries (if the aneurysm burst doctors will most likely have to operate to prevent additional bleeding).

Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)

***They are known as mini-strokes

***They are temporary strokes (less than 24 hours)

***It is when blood vessels get clogged by blood clots or other debris

***They have the same symptoms as ischemic strokes, however the damage is less

Risk Factors

-Being overweight

-Heavy drinking

-Use of illegal drugs

-Physical inactivity

-High blood pressure

-Diabetes

-High cholesterol

-Smoking

-Cardiovascular disease (i.e. heart failure)

Prevention

-Change your diet (include lots of vegetables and fruits)

-Exercise daily (30 min will do)

-Controlling high blood pressure

-Quit smoking if you are a smoker

-Managing diabetes

-Lower the intake of cholesterol

Tests to Diagnose Strokes

-blood tests

-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan and a computerized tomography (CT) scan

-electrocardiogram (EKG)

-Cerebral angiogram

-Carotid ultrasound

-Echocardiogram

Complications

A stroke can cause temporary or permanent disabilities such as:

Paralysis or loss of muscle movement.
Difficulty talking or swallowing.
Memory loss or thinking difficulties.
Emotional problems.
Changes in behavior and self-care ability.

Recovery

As mentioned strokes may leave a person with complications. In order, to recover some might attend speech therapy, physiotherapy, talk therapy sessions to regain their abilities.

Visual explanation: