What is it
The word stroke, literally means “stroke” and in fact stroke is a sudden vascular event, which develops over the course of a few minutes, or a few hours, and which concerns the rupture (hemorrhagic stroke) or complete obstruction (ischemic stroke) of one of the arterial vessels that carries blood to the brain.
Diffusion
Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the Western world, after cardiovascular disease and cancer. It mainly affects, but not only, middle-aged people and the elderly.
In Italy, stroke is the cause of 10-12% of all deaths that occur in a year; The incidence increases progressively with age reaching the maximum value in the over-85s.
In general, 75 percent of strokes affect individuals over 65 years of age. Both sexes are affected with equal frequency. In Italy there are about 250 cases of stroke per day.
Causes
85-90% of strokes are of ischemic origin, while only 10-15% are attributable to intracranial hemorrhages.
Ischemic stroke can be due to thrombosis or embolism, that is, a blood clot forms inside a cerebral artery that prevents the supply to the brain area supplied by that artery.
Thrombi are very often formed in arteries already damaged by atherosclerosis.
In addition to atherosclerosis, other risk factors that favor the likelihood of the onset of a stroke are: hypercholesterolemia, arterial hypertension, severe and persistent alterations of the heart rhythm (atrial fibrillation) and heart valve diseases, diabetes mellitus, obesity, cigarette smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, too sedentary life.
Symptoms and diagnosis
Depending on the artery affected, and consequently the brain area affected by the stroke, the symptoms concern different neurological and brain functions.
So it can manifest itself with: confusional state, sudden fall to the ground, paralysis (blockage of movements of the arms or legs), loss of speech, vision, memory.
In extreme cases, when the affected vessel is of larger caliber, or supplies blood to the central and main areas of the brain and spinal cord, stroke can lead to coma or death.
The diagnosis is generally made in the emergency room, and to better identify the affected vessel, instrumental examinations are performed (for example CT scan, Doppler ultrasound).
Complications
The loss of neurological functions can be transient (with the appropriate treatments it is therefore possible to recover the lost functions) or even more lasting, causing a permanent impairment (disability) in the affected subject, especially if it is an elderly person.
Care
In the acute phase (in the first hours after the onset of symptoms), the person affected by stroke should be quickly transported to a first aid center.
At this stage, surgery on the affected vessel and/or medication to dissolve the thrombus may be necessary.
Once the acute phase is resolved, all the drugs needed to control risk factors (atherosclerosis, heart disease, hypertension) and the right diet are also effective for treating stroke.
It is very important that the person affected by stroke practice, with the advice of doctors, constant rehabilitation exercises (physiotherapy) to recover the functions lost in the acute phase.
When to consult your doctor
If an elderly person, perhaps with heart problems, complains of a severe headache or a block of movements, or suddenly, he cannot speak well and seems confused, it is good to immediately hear the family doctor and arrange for transport to an emergency room.
However, all people, even if not elderly, with high blood pressure or arrhythmias or previous heart disease, hypercholesterolemia and diabetes should be kept under regular medical supervision, because they are more likely to develop a stroke.
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.
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