Stroke – what is it, causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment

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A stroke is a colloquial term for a hemorrhagic stroke, a life-threatening brain condition that requires prompt hospitalization. The cause of a stroke may be high blood pressure, blood clotting disorders, and taking certain medications. One of the first symptoms of the disease is persistent weakness, muscle paralysis and paralysis of one half of the body.

What is a stroke?

A stroke (haemorrhagic stroke) is a sudden stroke of blood into the surrounding tissues because of a break in a blood vessel. A stroke can occur in people with a ruptured aneurysm or with high blood pressure. A stroke is characterized by more or less severe symptoms of brain damage, which may include arterial embolism, blood clot, or cerebral haemorrhage. Although the hematoma is usually self-absorbed without any further consequences, a hemorrhage into some tissues (e.g. brain tissue) can be so dangerous that it ends in the patient’s death. The most dangerous is cerebral hemorrhagic stroke (hemorrhagic stroke). Stroke is a very serious problem for modern medicine, as it is both the most common and the cause of death and the main cause of disability.

Not every stroke is a stroke! Depending on the cause – a stroke may be hemorrhagic or ischemichowever, most strokes are ischemic. It occurs when blood flow is blocked in the cerebral artery, causing hypoxia in a certain part of the brain. On the other hand, a hemorrhagic stroke occurs when there is a sudden bleeding from a ruptured vessel that destroys the brain tissue.

The causes of the stroke

The most common cause of a stroke is considered to be the most common cause of stroke hypertensionwhich by itself does not show obvious symptoms. For this reason, a stroke often occurs in people who are completely unaware of their pressure problems. Atherosclerosis and embolism also play an important role. The cause of a hemorrhagic stroke is unexpected bleeding from a ruptured vessel, e.g. due to an aneurysm rupture. Other factors that increase your risk of a stroke include:

1. past infections,
2. injuries,
3. heart diseases,
4. alcohol abuse,
5. drug addiction,
6. smoking,
7. taking drugs, e.g. amphetamines,
8. overweight / obesity,
9. diabetes,
10. tumors
11. defective structure of blood vessels,
12. blood clotting problems,
13. lack of physical activity,
14. environmental and social conditions,
15. bad diet,
16. hypercholesterolemia,
17. increased blood hematocrit,
18. angiopatia amyloidowa,
19. taking medications that reduce blood clotting, e.g. warfarin.

Stroke – symptoms

The symptoms of a stroke depend mainly on which part of the brain has been damaged by extravasated blood or insufficient blood supply to the brain. Symptoms of the disease usually appear unexpectedly, they are quite specific, but it is not easy to recognize them immediately.

Stroke is characterized by disturbances in brain function in the form of persistent disturbances over a day weakness or muscle paralysis and sensory disturbancesusually affecting one half of the body visual, speech or gait disturbance and coordination problems. The occurrence of individual symptoms depends on the location and extent of the stroke focus. Stroke is the cause of approx. 15% of strokes, most often they are caused by cerebral ischemia (approx. 80%), the least frequently by subarachnoid hemorrhage – in approx. 5% of cases.

A stroke is a blood extravasation directly into the brain tissue. It manifests itself sudden, severe headache, unconsciousness and the appearance of focal symptoms listed above. The appearing hematoma, surrounded by swollen tissue, causes an increase in intracranial pressure, threatening with fatal consequences, therefore it is necessary to promptly diagnose (computed tomography of the brain) and treatment consisting in the removal of the hematoma and elimination of cerebral edema.

Depending on the location of the bleeding, the following pains are observed:

1. parietal lobe – pain in the parietal-temporal area and lack of sensation
2. occipital lobe – pain at the side of the stroke, and hemopia
3. temporal lobe – pain in the temporal area and damage to the visual radiance
4. frontal lobe – pain in the frontal area, bilateral muscular paralysis or hemiparesis

Hemorrhagic stroke

In people with a hemorrhagic stroke, it can appear precursor symptomswhich mainly include very severe headaches. The most common cause of a stroke is strong emotion or physical exertion. The injured person loses consciousness within minutes. Additionally, vomiting and convulsions may appear. The person with a hemorrhagic stroke is usually unconscious and the symptoms increase slowly. The victim’s eyeballs most often point towards the hemisphere of the brain in which the blood was extravasated.

Diagnosis and treatment of a stroke

The length of time is very important in a person who has had a stroke and it affects the effectiveness of the treatment. It is counted from the first symptoms to the implementation of treatment. The sooner the appropriate management is started, the greater the chance of less brain damage and neurological deficits. That is why it is so important to help the injured person as soon as possible. Therefore, if you notice symptoms of a stroke in yourself or someone close to you – call an ambulance service. A person transported to hospital undergoes specialist treatment. Unfortunately, we do not constantly help much at home.

During hospitalization, thorough neurological examinations, blood tests and computed tomography are performed. In extreme cases, magnetic resonance imaging is performed, thanks to which it is possible to clearly identify the disease. Both of these tests allow the elimination of other brain diseases, such as an intracranial tumor. Treatment depends on the type and location of the stroke.

Treatment of a stroke

During hospitalization, in addition to performing the necessary tests, the vital functions of the victim should be constantly monitored and the deficiency of fluids and electrolytes should be replaced. In addition, special attention should be paid to blood pressure and temperature control. If necessary, anticoagulant, anticonvulsant and anti-edema therapy are administered. In addition to pharmacological treatment, surgical treatments are also used. Surgical treatment is indicated in patients with cerebellar hemorrhage with a focus of more than 3 centimeters. The procedure is also considered in patients with hydrocephalus and pressure on the brain stem.

After the stroke, it is worth doing rehabilitation exercises, e.g. supporting manual skills. To do this, order the Set of 3 4FIZJO finger training bands, which includes bands with different resistance.

To avoid a stroke, first and foremost, you need to eliminate risk factors, including

1. hypertension,
2. diabetes,
3. smoking,
4. alcohol abuse,
5. obesity,
6. heart diseases,
7. sedentary lifestyle.

Note: Some may experience temporary strokes. At this point, symptoms such as those of a stroke develop, but they last from a few minutes to several hours and then disappear on their own. With proper treatment at this time, you can avoid a stroke.

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