October 6th, 2007 by Aaks
Overview of Stroke
Facts about Stroke
Causes of Stroke
Symptoms of Stroke
Types of Stroke
Diagnosis and Tests of Stroke
Treatment of Stroke
TREATMENT OF STROKE
Stroke is seen as one of the fatal diseases, and rightly so as it is the third largest cause of fatalities worldwide. In such a case the treatment gains immense importance as it is to be quickly done to the affected persons because delay in time worsens the impact of the stroke, and its impact is so very bad and fatal that it can rob a person of all his sense about life and many times a part of his life time! So the treatment is more than important not just for temporary relief but aimed at ensuring a stroke free life thereafter. The treatment for stroke involves medicinal, hospitalization, rehabilitation type of treatments. The main treatment scheme for Stoke is a sfollows
- Carotid endarterectomy is usually used to clear of blockages in the carotid artery. The treatment mainly depends on the location and size of the clot. There are variety of techniques that are suited for various aspect of the affected part.
- Clot dissolvent like tPA (tissue Plasminogen Activator) are also frequently used but some are found to be allergic towards such drugs and so a suitability test is first performed. And this is usually administered only if the treatment is done within few hours of the diagnosis/attack. Use of tPA for a hemorrhagic attack is not advised as its sometimes proven to be fatal.
- Hemorrhagic attacks are quite difficult to be treated and the drugs used for treatment in such cases are to be administered carefully. Minimal bleeding of arteries are easily treated with drugs, but severe bleeding from blood vessels are to be corrected through surgery. Also the Blood pressure controlling drugs and other risk factor-controlling drugs are used to facilitate thorough treatment in aspect of the stroke.
- Once your brain’s functioning is stabilized by removing clogs and clots and making the artery devoid of blockages, the attention turns towards making the patient more stable and robust, so that he will not get another attack. The main things looked into and controlled are the risk factors like hypertension, Arterial fibrillation, cholesterol etc.
- Medicines for controlling pressure, and anticoagulants for keeping blood from coagulation and clotting are prescribed to keep the patient on a safer side. Advancement in technology has also led to have a complete clearing of carotid artery, so that inner walls are clear of clots and blockages completely. A special diet is prescribed to keep the risk factors off. Like a controlled diet in case of diabetes, and a reduced fat and cholesterol in your diet in case the patient already has high cholesterol content.
- Some rehabilitation is concentrated on keeping the heart diseases at bay. The heart attacks are more severe in view of strokes. The occurrence of heart attack or cardiac arrest in an already vulnerable patient is so dangerous. So it must be avoided. Rhythmic activities of heart and damaged valves of the heart and malfunctioning aspects are treated carefully to make it function properly.
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October 6th, 2007 by Aaks
Overview of Stroke
Facts about Stroke
Causes of Stroke
Symptoms of Stroke
Types of Stroke
Diagnosis and Tests of Stroke
Treatment of Stroke
Diagnosis and Tests of Stroke
The treatment of a disease varies according to diseases, and many diseases have the same kind of symptoms to a large extent. This shows that a diagnosis and test for the specific disease is to be taken before resorting to treatment methods pertaining to a specific disease. This holds even better in case of fatal diseases like Stroke. The testing and diagnosis of Stroke involves the following
- The first and foremost things the doctor should do is to verify whether you have the possibility of getting stroke. So he should necessarily do a physical test on you to get a outline of your body conditions. He may test your body externally by means of stethoscope or other devices to know whether your arteries and heart are in good condition. Also he can have the cholesterol levels, sugar levels, blood pressure levels etc.
- Then the doctor needs to get a clear picture of the arteries, and the arteriography technique helps it. Here a slender tube is inserted into specific artery from specific areas in your body, and dye is inserted through it and an X-ray image of it is obtained.
- The other important technique used initially is computerized tomography, which is used in the same way as the arteriography, provides a three dimensional image of the blood vessels. This is used in identifying any abnormalities in them and to identify the aneurysms associated with the important arteries. It is also used for getting a clear image of the brain to help in identifying blood spills and clots in any regions of concern.
The important thing in diagnosis is to identify the type of Stroke because the treatments for each of them are distinct and unique and the mixing up of them leads to severe or even fatal impacts.
- The other important and most prevalent techniques in the diagnosis of stroke used in later stages include carotid ultrasound or Doppler scan, echocardiogram, Holter monitoring, magnetic resonance imaging etc. Each of these tests have their own specific functions and characteristics and are aimed at having a clear picture of the brain, blood vessels. Echocardiography is a technique used in getting a clear picture of the blood stream across the whole body, and identifying clots. The esophagus is used to help us to get such a clear picture.
- The doctor also analyses some other risk factors that can cause Stroke and their possibilities, to make a good attempt at preventing any further attacks.
Thus we see the amount of work involved in order to diagnose a Stroke and the treatment follows after this! It’s obvious that such a diagnosis is time consuming and takes a lot of resources and has a great mental impact on every one related to the affected person. It becomes more clear that prevention is better than cure in the case of Stroke!
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October 6th, 2007 by Aaks
Overview of Stroke
Facts about Stroke
Causes of Stroke
Symptoms of Stroke
Types of Stroke
Diagnosis and Tests of Stroke
Treatment of Stroke
TYPES OF STROKES
Stroke, commonly referred to as brain attack is the third main cause of fatalities in the world, falling only behind cancer and heart attack. A good awareness about stroke can actually not only lessen the number of fatalities occurring daily but also control the occurrence of it. All strokes occur due to the disruption in normal blood flow to the brain cells, and Stroke can be classified by the types of occurrences as…
- Ischemic Strokes
These types of strokes occur when a blood clot or some other such hindering particles are present in the blood vessels and hinder the blood flow in the arteries. Such occurrences amount to more than 80% of all strokes. Thus the normal amount of blood that must flow to the brain is not flowing. This type can be further classified as
i. Thrombotic Strokes
In such type of strokes there is actually a blood clot found in the brain cells, and the arteries carrying blood are blocked and blood is not delivered in the right rate to the brain. The thrombotic strokes amount to more than 50% of all occurrences. The Thrombotic strokes also include a case where the inner walls of arteries are clogged by deposition of fatty acids containing cholesterol. This is sometimes further classified as large vessel thrombosis and small vessel thrombosis (lacuner) depending on whether the larger carotid artery or the other smaller vessels are affected.
ii. Embolic Strokes
The Embolic strokes are more similar to the thrombotic Strokes except the fact that the clots that are causing the disruption are formed somewhere else ad get stuck in the arteries due to their narrow passage.
- Hemorrhagic Strokes
The hemorrhagic strokes are caused by the spilling of blood outside the vessels due to rupture in the walls of the arteries or bursting of blood vessels. The main reasons for such occurrences are hypertension and aneurysms (weak walling of the vessels). This type is also subcategorized as
i. Intracerebral hemorrhage:
The Intracerebral hemorrhage occurs due to the bursting of blood vessels near the brain tissue. The main reason for bursting being severe hypertension, where the blood pressurizes the blood vessels from inside, thus causing the arteries to expand and burst. The cells ahead of the path after burst don’t get blood supply and so the brain malfunctions.
ii. Subarachnoid Hemorrhage:
The subarachnoid hemorrhage occurs due to the bleeding of arteries near the membrane of the brain. This differs from intracerebral hemorrhage because the vessels don’t burst but are ruptured and blood oozes out of them. This is caused by rupture of aneurysm. The arteries near the ruptured area may constrict further, leading more severe damage. This is characterized by a severe piercing headache.
Thus we see that whatever the type of stroke is, the impact is that brain cells gets damaged severely and the result is that something hard to reverse occurs. So it’s best to prevent such a fatal disease, rather than allowing it to develop and trying to restrict it in later stages.
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October 6th, 2007 by Aaks
Overview of Stroke
Facts about Stroke
Causes of Stroke
Symptoms of Stroke
Types of Stroke
Diagnosis and Tests of Stroke
Treatment of Stroke
SYMPTOMS OF STROKE
Fatal diseases are to be treated quickly after their diagnosis and so their diagnosis is to be done quicker. Stroke is one such disease where the symptoms or signs are not that pronounced and that easily identified. But the way in which we recognize the signs and frequent conditions may help us a great deal. The prevention should be done with care, but if it is not done, then we have to have a clear idea of the signs and symptoms associated with the fatal disease such as stroke. The main signs and symptoms of Stroke are listed below…
- The first clear symptom of Stroke is the TIA (Transient Ischemic Attack). In simple terms it’s a stroke for a short period of time. As its name implies it actually is an ischemic attack, caused due to improper blood flow to the brain. But this is just a beginning stage of stroke, so there won’t be any severity. TIA occurs without any possible symptom and when it subdues, there is no mark left behind, you will be feeling as normal as before, but complete damage will be done by its severe form, the stroke, if TIA is left uncared of.
The other symptoms below apply as symptoms for both TIA and stroke…
- Numbness felt in any part of the body, especially the arm, legs, thigh, face region etc. What the small signs actually let us know is that there is something is disrupting the blood flow to a part of the brain, and so we cannot feel anything from a certain region.
- Temporarily blurred or poor vision in the eyes is another important sign. What we feel as numbness in other parts is actually felt as impairment of vision in the eyes, but the cause of them are the same.
- The other important signs are impaired sensory feeling of touch, heat in any part of the body, sudden piercing head ache which subdues itself in some time, the unexplained dizzy feeling and drowsiness, lessened comprehension levels and thinking capabilities, frequent loss of balance of the body and falling… etc. It is seen from these signs that actually the brain which is a controller every one of the above activity actually is not functioning satisfactorily due to some disruptions. Such signs should not be left uncared. Take notice of each such signs in vulnerable persons and get them to medical attention from a doctor.
The fatality of the stroke is kept under check in present days with good use of advancement in medical technology, but what must not be forgotten is that without a clear notion of intent from a one’s side, there is no use of the treatments. The stroke is one such disease where the symptoms and signs can determine the future life of a person. Once a person is affected his life is just not the same after that, unless quick treatment is done. Its important to eradicate such occurrences by having a medical assistance for us, when we think we have seen some signs and symptoms.
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October 6th, 2007 by Aaks
Overview of Stroke
Facts about Stroke
Causes of Stroke
Symptoms of Stroke
Types of Stroke
Diagnosis and Tests of Stroke
Treatment of Stroke
CAUSES OF STROKE
The causes for stroke, commonly referred to as brain attack, is manifold. The variety of different causes has indeed made it more prevalent. In order keep stroke at bay, one has to know the causes well too. All of the causes lead to a condition where there is not enough blood flow to the brain, thus causing stroke. This is the result for impairment of bodily functions in case of stroke. The causes can be enumerated according to their severity in causing stroke…
- The main cause for brain attack that is main cause for having improper blood flow to the brain is disruption in blood flow inside arteries. This is caused mainly by Atherosclerosis, in which fatty deposits occur in the inner walls of arteries, thus preventing smooth flow of blood and reducing the amount of blood taken to the brain. This condition leads to ischemic stroke which is the most occurring form of stroke worldwide.
- Hypertension often is not taken seriously by some, but it’s a potential risk factor and cause of stroke, because hypertension is characterized by high blood pressure and so the arteries that are carrying this blood are stressed in their walls. When they are under such a stress for a long time they are more prone to rupture and cracks, so what it leads to is the blood leakage. When blood carried to the brain is ruptured and spilled over brain tissue instead of arteries taking them into it, it leads to hemorrhagic stroke. Only severe cases of hypertensions are prone to such strokes but definitely are.
- Blood clots or other such smaller particles when comes into the blood stream, circulate and come to the heart and when they are pumped into arteries, especially that which carries blood to the brain, they get stuck in the arteries due to their narrow passage. The clots are referred to as embolus. It is responsible for the embolic stroke, a type of ischemic stroke.
- Aneurysm is a condition where the walls of the blood vessels become more and more slender, so the vessels near the membrane of the brain actually bleed, causing spilling of blood over the membrane between brain and skull. After this the vessels may g o into vasospasm causing more obstruction to flow of blood, thus resulting in severe scarcity of blood in the brain cells. Thus the functions are not done properly, resulting in stroke. This is a type of hemorrhagic stroke called subarachnoid hemorrhage.
- A cardiac arrest is also main cause of stroke. When brain is more vulnerable and a cardiac arrest occurs then it can magnify into stroke.
Thus the actual reason and cause for all types of stroke are known. The prevention of stroke is by preventing such causes from getting into your body. The main causes are acquired by our body only through bad living habits, not actually by heredity. So its best to avoid habits leading to such bad conditions.
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October 6th, 2007 by Aaks
Overview of Stroke
Facts about Stroke
Causes of Stroke
Symptoms of Stroke
Types of Stroke
Diagnosis and Tests of Stroke
Treatment of Stroke
Facts About Stroke
In many countries across the world, Stroke is the single most cause in causing disabilities (especially brain) in people, and deprives them of a complete full lifetime. The number of Stroke-affected people worldwide has been estimated at 20.5 million. The number is high and we have to take steps in the right direction to control the number, or even nullify its increase. The facts about the stroke are things which everyone has to be aware of, considering the impact it has on one’s life.
What is a Stroke?
Stroke or brain attack, is a condition where the body’s most important part, brain malfunctions due to inadequate supply of blood to it. This condition is a result of damages to the blood vessels (leading to bursting) associated with the brain or due to blood clots within arteries.
The brain is the control center of our body. When its functioning gets disrupted, every other aspect of the body gets disrupted. Stroke results in malfunctioning of a whole human, ranging from failure to comprehend to paralysis of bodily parts.
Signs and Symptoms
One needs to be aware of signs and symptoms in order get quick medical help to a stroke affected person. The symptom is usually acute severe, pinning headache in the brain region of head. Sometimes a temporary blood flow interruption causes TIA (Temporary Ischemic Attack) which in itself shows off an impending stroke. But frequent malfunctions like sudden headache, sudden numbness, inability to comprehend and think causing pain in the brain… etc are valid symptoms for a stroke. The person affected by stroke has impacts of stroke depending on the time taken to get him treated. Quicker the treatment lesser the disability and severity of Stroke.
Main Causes and Risk factors
The main causes of stroke are blot clots occurring in the blood stream (e.g. in case of atherosclerosis, where arteries get damaged blood clots are prone to occur within) due to high cholesterol content in blood. Also heart’s rhythm problems (each upper chamber of heart pumps irregularly out of sync), leads to such clogs. High blood pressure is also a cause for stroke.
The risk factors you can associate with stroke are your hereditary stroke problem history, smoking, high cholesterol levels, diabetes, obesity and use of birth control pills etc. These are the things that should be avoided to keep stroke at bay.
Treatment
The Stroke is a case of emergency and should be called for immediate medical attention. Treatment done is aimed at the bursting of blood clot in the blood vessel to ensure smooth flow of blood to the brain. Clot bursting drugs are to be administered within three hours. This will help in getting back normal ability for the person. If you think you are prone to stroke due to some reasons you can get yourself some anti-platelets and anti-coagulant drugs for preventing it. Hemorrhagic strokes a re usually treated by clamping aneurysm.
The knowledge of these facts that everyone needs to be aware of, will greatly help us in reducing the damage done by stroke to the human community.
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October 6th, 2007 by Aaks
Overview of Stroke
Facts about Stroke
Causes of Stroke
Symptoms of Stroke
Types of Stroke
Diagnosis and Tests of Stroke
Treatment of Stroke
Overview of Stroke
We have certainly come across the health problem of stroke, from some one in our neighborhood, or from some of our own relatives. This just shows the high prevalence of it among the people. Stroke (commonly, referred to as brain attack) a condition where the brain malfunctions due to disrupted blood flow, is often a dangerous one to counter with. The Stroke is seen as an emergency situation requiring immediate quick action. The Stroke kills 5 million people (15 million affected) worldwide every year, this shows the fatal nature of it.
Stroke occurs in two ways, Stroke occurring due to the clogging of blood or presence of other particles that disrupts the flow of blood in the blood vessels (arteries) closely related to the brain by accumulated fat is called Ischemic Stroke. This constitutes 80% of the strokes. The Stoke that occurs due to the burst of blood vessels carrying blood to the brain is called hemorrhagic (“hemorrhage” means bleeding) stroke. They differ only in the way of causal, but the impact is of same fatal nature in both cases.
As every other part in the body, brain too needs a constant supply of nutrients and oxygen from blood for its proper functioning. When it’s deprived of it, all the activities controlled by brain gets affected, this is mostly all of our body’s functioning like blurred vision, difficulties in comprehending speech and problems with memory and impaired thinking capabilities… etc. There may be severe headache accompanying the stroke (more possible in the case of hemorrhagic stroke) and the impact is usually impairment of bodily activities. Recovery from Stroke is only possible if it’s acted upon in timely manner. Prevention is best than cure in case of Stroke!
The Stroke is an emergency situation and it’s advisable to call 911, if you are in the US and react quickly. The more disturbing statistics about stroke is that the more prevalent diseases like Hypertension, Diabetes serve as a helper to acquiring the fatal Stroke. But the death rate associated with the stroke has come down, even though the number of affected people has not reduced appreciably. The rate of survival is achieved through the advancement in medical technologies.
The Stroke has varied impacts depending upon the region of the brain affected and the extent to which it’s affected, and recovery too is varied by the same way. But if the Stroke is diagnosed early and acted on quickly then it can surely be avoided and perfect body condition can be restored.
The Stroke stands after heart disease and cancer, as the third fatal disease to the human kind. The Stroke deprives many persons of their many years of life. We have already been able to control Stroke and its impacts already. With a little more awareness spread about it, giving a clear picture what it is and how its symptoms can be identified… etc we can surely eradicate the death rate to a minimum.
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