Stroke: an underestimated problem

It is the third leading cause of death and the leading cause of disability among the elderly.

In our country, cerebrovascular diseases represent the third cause of death and the first cause of disability in adults-elderly.

Stroke is a sudden and acute event that occurs in the brain following the reduction or interruption of blood flow to the brain (ischemia) and deficit of oxygenation of neurons.

The consequences can also be very serious and depend on which part of the brain tissue is affected and its extension.

The result of oxygenation deficiency can range from paralysis to loss of functions affecting speech, vision, physical sensitivity or memory, to coma and, in severe cases, death.

A killer more dangerous than heart attack

Much less is said about it than heart attack, yet stroke is the main cause of lethal cardiovascular events.

The numbers are more than clear and constitute a huge problem: in our country every year acute myocardial infarction is responsible for 37,000 fatal cases, while stroke claims 65,000 victims.

Every year in Italy there are about 200,000 new strokes, whose prognosis is often not good. The cerebral ischemic event represents, in fact, the first cause of disability, the second of dementia and the third of death.

It can arise at any age, although it is more frequent after the age of fifty and, above all, in old age.

Males are affected slightly more than women and, for both sexes, the probability of incurring this disease increases progressively with age, reaching the maximum in the over eighty-five.

There is stroke and stroke

The event affecting brain tissue can be of two types: ischemic or hemorrhagic. The first, sometimes also called cerebral infarction, is by far the most frequent: about 85 percent of all strokes are due to a blockage of arterial blood flow.

If the obstacle is not removed within a few minutes, the nerve cells undergo definitive damage.

Hemorrhagic stroke, which accounts for the other 15 percent of strokes, is due to a ruptured cerebral artery; and it is the most severe form.

Signals not to be underestimated

Tingling, reduced vision in one half of the visual field, dizziness, headache may be the first alarm bells.

Even more so if you can no longer move a limb or articulate words, or if you can not understand what is happening to us or what they are telling us, it is good to consult your doctor or the medical guard immediately or go to the emergency room.

It can be, in fact, a transient ischemic attack (TIA), a warning sign that is often taken lightly. In about 15 percent of cases, however, it precedes or announces a stroke.

A timely comprehensive clinical evaluation can, in most cases, reveal a cardiovascular disease that may cause a stroke; the risk in the first hours after a TIA is very high: it is better to carry out adequate investigations immediately.

Joycelyn Elders is the author and creator of EmpowerEssence, a health and wellness blog. Elders is a respected public health advocate and pediatrician dedicated to promoting general health and well-being.

The blog covers a wide range of topics related to health and wellness, with articles organized into several categories.

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