What Is Stroke?
February 8, 2010
Brain requires constant flow of oxygenated blood in order to carry out all functioning regularly. The blood is received through the carotid arteries passing through the sides of the neck and the vertebral arteries. Any interruption in the blood flow to the brain leads to a stroke.
Stroke may be broadly classified into transient ischaemic attack ( mini-stroke) and complete stroke.
TIA has same symptoms as complete stroke but its recovery period is within 24 hours. TIA often occurs because of small blood clots within the brain due to sudden injury or shock. On the other hand, a complete stroke requires a recovery period of 3 days initially but complete recovery takes a year.
Causes
High blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking are top culprits for occurrence of stroke. These factors often cause a blockage in the arteries which supply blood to the brain. The blockage may increase so much of pressure inside the arteries that abrupt leakage of blood may occur. But this happens not very frequently.
The nerves which are damaged due to lack of blood for more than a few minutes lose nerve cells permanently. Nerve cells do not re-grow but their functions can be taken up by the adjoining cells.
The risk of stroke increases with increase in age. This is because the circulatory system deteriorates with age. Brain tumor is another cause of stroke.
Symptoms
Symptoms of stroke could be as simple as not being able to perform a natural reflex action like taking hand away from heat, not being able to speak suddenly, etc. Other symptoms include loss of feeling in parts like arm or leg, difficulty in vision, sudden black outs and difficulty in speech.
More prominent symptoms include mental confusion, loss of emotional control, and change in personality and unconsciousness.
Treatment
CT scan and MRI are performed to detect the site in the brain that has been damaged. These scans tell about the type and possible cause of stroke that has occurred. This could be either due to interference in blood flow, bleeding or due to some disease.
Blood pressure management is important after stroke. This is done through dietary changes, prescription of NSAIIDs (aspirin, most commonly) and ample amount of rest.
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