Health is very important among humans, so people are concentrating on developing a healthy lifestyle. They are aware that any illnesses will cause expensive treatment that will result to financial crisis on their behalf. Just like the case of stroke. Patients having stroked is very devastating for it affects not only the physical aspect but also the emotional status, mental, financial and even their overall health.
It is a big burden when someone suffers a stroke. Because once this affects you, you will not anymore live in a normal way. There are many instances that this disease affects someone. Your daily routine and activities are affected, and there you will get depressed if you experience disability that brought about by stroke.
DEFINITION:
In medical terminology, stroke is associated with cerebrovascular accident, in which there is a rapid brain dysfunction due to blockage of blood supply in the brain arteries because of different reasons like hemorrhage, arterial embolism, thrombosis and ischemia. Once there is a dysfunction in the part of the brain, the result would be tragic because once the part of the brain is being effected there would be disability on the body parts depending on the brains functioning.
As a result, there would be a paralysis of the upper or lower extremities or being in a vegetative state. That is why; stroke is an emergent case that needs immediate attention in order to save the part of the brain that can still function normally. Indeed, stroke is a very dangerous illness. Take a look of the risk factors that can be contributing factors when it comes to stroke.
CAUSES, INCIDENCE AND RISK FACTORS:
The main cause of cerebrovascular accident is the blockage of blood supply in the brain arteries that causes severe damage in the brain. Stroke can be brought by ischemic attack or hemorrhagic stroke. When we say ischemic stroke, it is a clot formation or thrombus that deposited in the arteries of the brain which is compose of high concentration of low density lipoproteins in the blood cholesterol. Once there is too much plaque accumulation, there will be a decrease in the diameter in the arteries that can cause blockage of blood supply to the brain which will later on create an ischemia.
If ischemia is present, the part of the brain that is affected will have created disability or paralysis in that part. On the other hand, hemorrhagic stroke describes as a rupturing of blood vessels in the brain and will accumulate the space with blood. This event will be due to high blood pressure, any trauma of the brain and aneurysms. The space that is affected is being deprived by oxygen which can cause death of brain cells. This is a serious event because neurological deficiency will arise and many part of the body will become paralyze. These events will develop by having many risk factors that predispose in developing stroke.
First, is unhealthy lifestyle, people having bad habits increases the individual’s susceptibility of developing stroke. An example of bad lifestyle habits are frequent alcoholic drinking, smoking, poor diet with high levels of sodium, cholesterol and fat which are all contribute to high blood pressure. Second, is family history, having a hereditary history of stroke it plays a great role in acquiring cerebrovascular accident in the present times. Third, is the age factor of the individual, most of the cases happens during their 50’s and will become progressive once the age is advance. Also, any condition like heart disease, vascular disease and diabetes all predispose to develop stroke. That is why, high risk individuals are encouraged to minimize the risk factors in order to prevent this attack to happen.
SYMPTOMS:
Before a stroke arrives, there is a warning sign that will lead to develop stroke. This is what they called transient ischemic attack. This condition is like a stroke but it only appears within 24 hours and it is an indication that a stroke is going to happen in the future if certain condition can trigger an attack. A symptom varies according to the extent of injury in the brain and depends on the part of which it is affected.
First, there is arm weakness, which includes numbness or weakness of the arms, legs and other body parts. Second, there is facial weakness, or what we called facial paralysis, this way a person face will be drooped from one side. There are also problems of speech and understanding. Third, there is difficulty in swallowing. That is why careful action is needed upon feeding in order to avoid aspiration. Fourth, there is loss of balance, stroke patients are experiencing difficulty in walking and standing. Fifth, there is unexplained headache and dizziness. Sixth, blurry vision in one or both eyes is sometimes experience.
And lastly, confusion is often being a complaint among the patient suffering from stroke. Always remember that these warning signs and even the symptoms itself should take immediate action so that other parts of the brain will be save and able to preserve some neurologic functions. If you experience this kind of symptoms, seek immediately your nearest health care provider in order to avoid severity of the disease.
DIAGNOSIS:
If someone experiencing these kinds of symptoms seek immediate medical attention. First the doctor will gather detailed medical history of the event. This will help the physician evaluate you present condition. Then later on the doctor will perform careful physical examination like your vital signs such as blood pressure, pulse rate, respiratory rate and temperature. Also, the doctor will examined the neurologic condition of the patient in order to provide an objective data in forming the right diagnosis of cerebrovascular accident. Once this things is performed, the patient will undergo CT scan procedure in order to have a clear picture of the brains affected part.
Then an electrocardiogram is performing in order to assess the status of the heart if ever there are arrhythmias and atrial fibrillation. Also, routine test like CBC, ABG and the likes are check to insure the functions of other organs if these organs have been affected. Any abnormalities in the result based on this procedures will confirmed the diagnosis of stroke. And immediate intervention should be facilitated to save the other parts of the brain as well as to preserve mental functioning.
TREATMENTS:
In treating cases of stroke the main goal of the treatment is to save the neurologic functioning of the brain and minimize or avoid the occurrence of another attack. First, medications are important in restoring the neurologic deficit of the brain. With the use of certain medications like clopidogrel, aspirin and dipyridamole are ordered to prevent aggregation of the platelets. Another medication is also used like tissue plasminogen activator; the mechanism of action in this kind of drug is that it dissolves the clot that blocks the arteries.
Another management of ischemic stroke is the removal of the clot that is the main problem of the disease. This is done by inserting a catheter into the femoral artery then goes down into the cerebral circulation and then install the cork-screw like device in order to trap the clot and then withdrawn from the body. The removal of emboli is very effective in restoring blood flow into the brain tissues and minimizing brain cell death.
Also, a surgical procedure like hemicraniectomy, a temporary removal of the part of the skull in order to relieve the pressure in the brain, thus accounts to the bigger success rate in restoring the functioning of the neurologic aspect of the individual. On the other hand, the use of anticoagulant is very helpful in preventing thromboembolic condition in the brain. With these treatments, there could be a big improvements if the stroke patient is immediately resolve and the survival rate as well as the success rate in restoring the neurologic functioning will be save. If ever there are disabilities in the body, physical therapy is usually recommended to return the normal functioning of the affected part.
PREVENTION:
The onset of stroke is very fast so careful observation of the warning signs are encourage in order to intervene immediately. Thus, prevention is very much opted and is the public concern to avoid this attack to happen. In order to prevent stroke one should have an active lifestyle, have regular exercise daily, a diet with low salt low fat diet, if you have hypertension do not escape taking your maintenance medications so that it can avoid too much pressure in the artery which can cause rupturing of the brain.
Always remember that health awareness is very important step in achieving a disease free body. Finally, prevention is better than cure so engage in activities that promotes wellness.
CONCLUSION:
It is a big challenge especially those who have family history of stroke that should take care of their body to prevent the attack to happen. They should be aware and develop a lifestyle that promotes healthy ways thus avoiding instances that contributes to the development of stroke in the future. It is the big responsibility to the individual to preserve the body’s normal functioning.
Spending some time and effort in knowing what is stroke and its effects to the body is a great idea. Bear in mind no human being is born with perfect health for the rest of his life. There will always be a possibility that a person might acquire this threatening medical condition. It is best that you should know it so that you will take care of your health seriously. A stroke is a condition wherein the brain of a person is no longer functioning because the blood in the brain is not circulating properly.
This medical condition is also known as a cardiovascular accident. As you can see people who have a cardiovascular accident can no longer move their body nor speak. This happens because the blood that enters into the brain is blocked. The complicated and imbalance lifestyle today is the leading cause of diabetes-related diseases. This disease can develop from major health problem such as obesity which then leads to heart failure and/or stroke.
Bad lifestyle is the primary cause of diabetes all over the world. In America alone, there are about 21 million recorded patients of this disease that is about 7% of the entire population of United States. Each year there are about 1.5 million individuals who realize they have been affected by such condition. It is essential to know what is a stroke and its effect so that you will be able to understand how important having a good health is.
