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Mar 2023

Everything about Strokes : Types, Symptoms, Risk factors, Diagnosis

Posted By Suborna Fermi Posted on Mar 19, 2023

A stroke is surely the most life-threatening medical emergency. Imagine you’re observing a person who is already busy in any random physical activity like cleaning the floor, washing dishes or reviewing important office assignments, suddenly the person gets unconscious, falls on the surface and when checked by others, the person is found dead.

Yes, a huge number of deaths caused by strokes happened the same way. In simple terms, Stroke is a health condition that may quickly turn dangerous. Strokes may simply take place anytime anywhere. There are many treatable strokes, but some of them may cause death or disability.

How does a stroke happen?

Stroke is basically a cerebrovascular disease. When any blood vessel gets blocked or bleeds, it either reduces or interrupts the supply of blood to the brain, which leads to the absence of sufficient oxygen in the brain that causes the death of brain cells.

Blood vessels are the only ways through which the oxygen reaches our brain and this is why when the blood vessels face an attack and the oxygen supply gets decreased or hampered, a stroke takes place.

Take a glance at the categories of stroke

As mentioned before, strokes may happen for two reasons, firstly if the vessel gets blocked and secondly if the vessel bleeds. The one that happens because of bleeding is different from the one that takes place because of the blockage.

  • Ischemic stroke : Narrowed or blocked arteries are the prime reason behind this particular type of stroke. In case of this type of strokes, it’s necessary to seek medical attention immediately and get medications that can help to dissolve or break down the clot.
  • Hemorrhagic stroke : This type of stroke happens when blood starts leaking into the brain. Medical experts can control and manage it by using drugs that can help to decrease pressure in the brain and keep the body’s blood pressure under control.
  • TIA : TIA’s interrupt the flow of blood to the brain. People who face a TIA are likely to face a serious stroke within a year if they don’t seek medical attention.

What kind of complications may take place because of stroke?

  • Paralysis
  • Loss of muscle movement
  • Difficulty in swallowing
  • Difficulty in talking
  • Numbness and other abnormal sensations
  • Difficulties in thinking and memorizing

What are the major risk factors of a stroke?

Among so many potential risk factors of a stroke, some of the most mentionable ones are mentioned here.

  • Obesity is a major risk factor for stroke.
  • People who are 55 years old or older are more likely to experience stroke.
  • People who excessively smoke or consume alcohol regularly are at a high risk.
  • People who are suffering from diabetic, hypertension etc are at a risk of facing stroke.
  • People who have a family history of stroke are at a huge risk of experiencing stroke.
  • People suffering from obstructive sleep apnea are also at a high risk of experiencing stroke.
  • Extreme physical inactivity may also fuel the risks of stroke.
  • Hormone therapies as well as birth control pills may also increase the risk of stroke.

Also, people who live a sedentary lifestyle or have any pre-existing cardiovascular disease may also come across a mild or severe stroke. Well, some studies say that men are at a higher risk of facing strokes than women, so this is a must to have sound knowledge about the most common precautionary measures that can be taken to stay away from the chances of stroke.

Preventions to be taken to avoid stroke

Well, staying prepared and keeping yourself out of the risk is always a better option than seeking medication when the dark hours arrive. Take a glance at some of the most effective precautionary measures that can keep you as well as your loved ones away from the chances of stroke.

  • Stay away from unhealthy lifestyle habits like smoking and drinking.
  • Obesity can lead to strokes, so try your best to maintain a healthy weight.
  • Get involved in physical workouts on a regular basis.
  • You should also maintain a diet, which is rich in vegetables and fruits.
  • Manage your diabetes as soon as possible to stay away from risks.
  • Control the consumption of saturated fat and cholesterol as much as possible.

Just because of rapid development and modernization in medical technologies, now it’s quite easy to detect strokes. As you have come to know how serious a stroke can be, you surely wouldn’t like to leave the disease undetected or untreated. Let’s have a look at how a stroke can be diagnosed.

There are some of the most common symptoms of stroke and each of us must have sound knowledge about it. The advantage of having knowledge about these symptoms is, one can quickly seek medical attention and get the recommendations of the doctors once any of these symptoms start to get visible in the body. Take a glance at some of these major symptoms.

Symptoms of stroke

The wise ones get alert at the first sign of trouble. Here comes some of the most mentionable symptoms of a stroke.

  • Confusion
  • Difficulties in understanding and speaking
  • Numbness or inability to move any specific part of the body
  • Vision problems
  • Headache

Besides, a number of people may also experience bladder control problems or depression. Don’t waste a single second more if you are also facing these symptoms very often these days. It doesn’t take too long for these warning signs to turn into a life-threatening emergency.

Diagnosis of stroke : what are the procedures?

There are certain procedures to diagnose the presence of a stroke, which are,

  • Blood tests: the medical experts may perform a blood test to determine the risks of blood clots or bleedings.
  • Physical examinations: the muscle strength, sensations, reflexes, vision etc are examined as well as the blood pressure. The medical experts may also examine the carotid arteries and the blood vessels of the eye.
  • CT scan: A CT scan can help to detect hemorrhages, strokes, tumors etc.
  • MRI Scan: An MRI scan can help to determine the presence of brain tissues that are damaged.

Apart from that, medical technologies like cerebral angiogram, echocardiogram and carotid ultrasound are also used as a process of stroke diagnosis. Quite obviously that's good news that it’s not really a big deal these days to diagnose the presence of stroke in the body.

As mentioned before, the recovery depends a bit on how quickly the medical actions are being taken. Showing negligence to the symptoms of a stroke can be dangerous. If a person is smiling and a particular side of the face is drooping or if a person delivers a slurred speech then it may also be some genuine stroke symptoms. Consult the doctors to know more.

References:

  • https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/7624#symptoms
  • https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/stroke/symptoms-causes/syc-20350113