A Stroke occurs when the blood supply to your brain is interrupted or reduced. This deprives your brain of oxygen and nutrients, causing your brain cells to die. A stroke may be caused by a blocked artery, which would be called a Ischemic stroke or the leaking or bursting of a blood vessel, which is called a hemorrhagic stroke.

You are more likely to suffer from a stroke if the individual is overweight, aged 55 or over, have a family or personal history of strokes, doesn’t often exercise, drinks alcohol heavily, smokes or uses drugs.

The main symptoms an individual will experience would be:

• Confusion- This can be trouble communicating such as with speaking and understanding.
• Headaches
• Numbness or inability to more parts of the face, arm or leg, particularly on one side of their body.
• Trouble seeing- This can be in both or one eye
• Trouble walking- Including dizziness and a lack of co-ordination

There are also some long term problems which arise from Strokes:

• Bladder or bowel control problems
• Depressive moods
• Pain in the hands and feet, getting worse with movement and changes in temperature
• Paralysis or weakness on one side of the body
• Trouble controlling or expressing emotions

How is a Stroke Diagnosed?

Strokes happen fast and will often occur before an individual can be seen by a doctor for a proper diagnosis.

There are several different types of diagnostic tests that doctors can use to determine which type of stroke has occurred:

• Physical examination – a doctor will ask about the patient’s symptoms and medical history. They may check blood pressure, listen to the carotid arteries in the neck, and examine the blood vessels at the back of the eyes, all to check for indications of clotting.
• Blood tests – a doctor may perform blood tests to find out how quickly the patient’s blood clots, the levels of particular substances (including clotting factors) in the blood, and whether or not the patient has an infection.
• CT scan – a series of X-rays that can show hemorrhages, strokes, tumors, and other conditions within the brain.
• MRI scan – radio waves and magnets create an image of the brain to detect damaged brain tissue.
• Carotid ultrasound – an ultrasound scan to check the blood flow in the carotid arteries and to see if there is any plaque present.
• Cerebral angiogram – dyes are injected into the brain’s blood vessels to make them visible under X-ray, to give a detailed view of the brain and neck blood vessels.
• Echocardiogram – a detailed image of the heart is created to check for any sources of clots that could have traveled to the brain to cause a stroke.

Ischemic strokes and hemorrhagic strokes require different kinds of treatment.

How the two types of strokes are treated:

How is ischemic stroke treated?

Ischemic strokes are caused by arteries being blocked or narrowed, and so treatment focuses on restoring an adequate flow of blood to the brain.

Treatment can begin with drugs to break down clots and prevent others from forming. Aspirin can be given, as can an injection of a tissue plasminogen activator (TPA). TPA is very effective at dissolving clots but needs to be injected within 4.5 hours of stroke symptoms starting.

Emergency procedures include administering TPA directly into an artery in the brain or using a catheter to physically remove the clot. Recent studies have questioned the effectiveness of these methods, and so research is still ongoing as to how beneficial these procedures are.

There are other procedures that can be carried out to decrease the risk of strokes or TIAs. A carotid endarterectomy involves a surgeon opening the carotid artery and removing any plaque that might be blocking it.

Alternatively, an angioplasty involves a surgeon inflating a small balloon in a narrowed artery via catheter and then inserting a stent (a mesh tube) into the opening to prevent the artery from narrowing again.

How is hemorrhagic stroke treated?

Hemorrhagic strokes are caused by bleeding into the brain, so treatment focuses on controlling the bleeding and reducing the pressure on the brain.

Treatment can begin with drugs given to reduce the pressure in the brain, control overall blood pressure, prevent seizures and prevent sudden constrictions of blood vessels. If the patient is taking blood-thinning anti-coagulants or an anti-platelet medication like Warfarin or Clopidogrel, they can be given drugs to counter the medication’s effects or blood transfusions to make up for blood loss.

Surgery can be used to repair any problems with blood vessels that have led or could lead to hemorrhagic strokes. Surgeons can place small clamps at the base of aneurysms or fill them with detachable coils to stop blood flow and prevent rupture.

If the hemorrhage was caused by arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), surgery can also be used to remove small them if they are not too big and not too deep within the brain. AVMs are tangled connections between arteries and veins that are weaker and burst more easily than other normal blood vessels.

Rehabilitation

Strokes are life-changing events that can affect a person both physically and emotionally, temporarily or permanently. After a stroke, successful recovery will often involve specific rehabilitative activities such as:

 

• Speech therapy – to help with problems producing or understanding speech. Practice, relaxation, and changing communication style, using gestures or different tones for example, all help.
• Physical therapy – to help a person relearn movement and co-ordination. It is important to get out and about, even if it is difficult at first.
• Occupational therapy – to help a person to improve their ability to carry out routine daily activities, such as bathing, cooking, dressing, eating, reading, and writing.
• Joining a support group – to help with common mental health problems such as depression that can occur after a stroke. Many find it useful to share common experiences and exchange information.
• Support from friends and family – to provide practical support and comfort. Letting friends and family know what can be done to help is very important.

 

Rehabilitation is an important and long part of treatment. With the right help, rehabilitation to a normal quality of life is possible, depending on the severity of the stroke.

First-time incidence of stroke occurs almost 17 million times a year worldwide; one every two seconds. There are over 1.2 million stroke survivors in the UK. 3 in 10 stroke survivors will go on to have a recurrent stroke or TIA. 1 in 8 strokes are fatal within the first 30 days

Some Statistical facts

• There are more than 100,000 strokes in the UK each year; that is around one stroke every five minutes.
• There are over 1.2 million stroke survivors in the UK.
• Every two seconds, someone in the world will have a stroke.
• Stroke is the fourth single leading cause of death in the UK and the third in Scotland.
• There are over 400 childhood strokes a year in the UK.
• Black people are twice as likely to have a stroke compared to
  white people.
• Stroke is a leading cause of disability in the UK – almost two
  thirds of stroke survivors leave hospital with a disability.
• More than 8 out of 10 people in the UK who are eligible for
  the emergency clot-busting treatment thrombolysis
  receive it.
• Only 3 out of 10 stroke survivors who need a six month
  assessment of their health and social care needs receive one.
• The NHS and social care costs of stroke are around £1.7 billion x2 a year in England.

All of these facts were obtained from Stroke.Org