“With a stroke, time lost is brain lost.”

What is a stroke?

A stroke is a cerebrovascular accident (CVA). A stroke occurs when blood flow to a part of the brain is stopped either by a blockage or the rupture of a blood vessel.

Types

• Ischemic stroke: an ischemic stroke is the most common and occurs when a blood clot blocks a blood vessel and prevents blood and oxygen from getting to a part of the brain. There are two ways that this can happen. One way is an embolic stroke, which occurs when a clot forms somewhere else in your body and gets lodged in a blood vessel in the brain. The other way is a thrombotic stroke, which occurs when the clot forms in a blood vessel within the brain.

• Hemorrhagic stroke: a hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel ruptures, or hemorrhages, and then prevents blood from getting to a part of the brain. The hemorrhage may occur in any blood vessel in the brain, or it may occur in the membrane surrounding the brain.

Factors related to hemorrhagic stroke include:

• uncontrolled high blood pressure

• overtreatment with blood thinners (anticoagulants)

• bulges at weak spots in one's blood vessel walls (aneurysms)

• trauma (such as a car accident)

• protein deposits in blood vessel walls that lead to weakness in the vessel wall (cerebral amyloid angiopathy)

• ischemic stroke leading to hemorrhage

• Transient ischemic attack (TIA): a transient ischemic attack is caused by a small clot that briefly blocks an artery. It is sometimes called a mini-stroke or a warning stroke. The TIA symptoms usually last less than an hour, and may only last a few minutes. TIAs are an important warning that a more serious stroke may occur soon.

Symptoms

The following symptoms may occur during a stroke:

• difficulty walking

• dizziness

• loss of balance and coordination

• difficulty speaking or understanding others who are speaking

• numbness or paralysis in the face, leg, or arm, most likely on just one side of the body

• problems seeing in one or both eyes; blurred or darkened vision

• a sudden headache, especially when accompanied by nausea, vomiting, or dizziness

There is an acronym, FAST, which helps people to recognize the most common symptoms of a stroke.

F: Is there drooping on one side of the face?

A: Is the person able to extend their arms without one of them drifting downwards?

S: Is their speech abnormal or slurred?

T: Time to call 911 and get to the nearest hospital if any of these symptoms occur.

So think FAST because the longer a stroke goes untreated, the greater the potential for brain damage and disability. Don't wait to see if symptoms stop. Every minute counts.

Causes

There are two main causes of stroke: a blocked artery (ischemic stroke) or leaking or bursting of a blood vessel (hemorrhagic stroke). Some people may have only a temporary disruption of blood flow to the brain, known as a transient ischemic attack (TIA), that doesn't cause lasting symptoms. (mayoclinic.org)

Risk factors

Risks associated with strokes can either be related to lifestyle, medical risks or other factors.

• Lifestyle risk factors:

1. Being overweight or obese

2. Physical inactivity

3. Heavy drinking

4. Use of illegal drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamines

• Medical risk factors

1. High blood pressure

2. Cigarette smoking or secondhand smoke exposure

3. High cholesterol

4. Diabetes

5. Obstructive sleep apnea. OSA is a sleep disorder that causes one to stop breathing for short periods repeatedly during one's sleep.

6. Cardiovascular disease, including heart failure, heart defects, heart infection, or abnormal heart rhythm, such as atrial fibrillation

7. Personal or family history of stroke, heart attack, or transient ischemic attack

8. COVID-19 infection

• Other factors

1. Age — People age 55 or older have a higher risk of stroke than do younger people.

2. Sex— Men have a higher risk of stroke than women.

3. Hormones — The use of birth control pills or hormone therapies that include estrogen increases the risk for strokes.

Complications

Strokes can unfortunately be followed by temporary or permanent disabilities depending on the length of time that the brain was deprived of blood flow. Here are the following disabilities which may occur:

• Paralysis or loss of muscle movement.

• Difficulty talking or swallowing.

• Memory loss or thinking difficulties.

• Emotional problems such as difficulty controlling one's emotions or developing depression.

• Pain or numbness may occur in the parts of the body affected by the stroke.

• Changes in behavior and self-care ability.

Prevention

Following the doctor's recommendations, adopting a healthy lifestyle, and knowing one's stroke risk factors can help the prevention of strokes. Here are some lifestyle recommendations for stroke prevention:

• Controlling high blood pressure (hypertension).

• Lowering the amount of cholesterol and saturated fat in one's diet.

• Quitting smoking.

• Managing diabetes.

• Maintaining a healthy weight.

• Maintaining a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.

• Exercising regularly.

• Drinking alcohol in moderation or avoiding it altogether.

• Treating obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

• Avoiding illegal drugs.

Preventative medication

Some medications help reduce the risk of having another stroke, such as:

1. Anti-platelet drugs. Platelets are blood cells that form clots. Anti-platelet drugs prevent the clotting of these cells. The most common medication for this is aspirin.

2. Anticoagulants. These drugs reduce the clotting of blood cells. Some medications for this are heparin, warfarin, dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban, and edoxaban.

Stroke Diagnoses

• Blood tests

• MRI and CT scan

• EKG

• Cerebral angiogram

• Carotid ultrasound

• Echocardiogram

Treatment

Treatment can range anywhere from medication to surgery depending on the damage of the stroke.

• Mechanical thrombectomy: during this procedure, the doctor inserts a catheter into a large blood vessel inside your head. They then use a device to pull the clot out of the vessel.

• Stents: if the doctor finds where artery walls have weakened, they may perform a procedure to inflate the narrowed artery and support the walls of the artery with a stent.

• Surgery: in the rare instances that other treatments don’t work, the doctor may perform surgery to remove a blood clot and plaques from your arteries.

That's it for today. I hope you enjoyed this post about strokes. Remember to think FAST if ever faced with a situation where someone potentially is having a stroke.

Stay safe and stay healthy, until next time!

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sources:

• https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/stroke/symptoms-causes/syc-20350113

• https://www.heartandstroke.ca/stroke/what-is-stroke

• https://www.healthline.com/health/stroke

• title quote by: http://www.strokeassociation.org/idc/groups/heart-public/@wcm/@global/documents/downloadable/ucm_312284.pdf