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Why Do We Need To Understand Stroke Symptoms ?Stroke (known medically as CVA, or Cerebrovascular Accident) is a disease that affects the blood vessels (arteries) supplying blood to the brain. It damages the brain because of the impaired blood supply and causes a sudden non-convulsive malfunction of the brain. Unless this supply of blood is restored, that part of the brain will die, causing permanent brain injury. Stroke is Singapore’s third leading cause of death. In 2006, the Ministry of Health reported that stroke had sunk to 4th place in the overall standings. These latest statistics reveal that while there are more people who suffer from strokes, more of them are surviving compared to five years ago. The number of deaths and admissions to Singapore hospitals for stroke has been rising; when standardised for age, however, mortality rates for stroke for both genders have fallen. There has been a fall in the prevalence of hypertension, smoking and hyperlipidemia in the general population, with a rise in the prevalence of diabetes mellitus. The frequency of hemorrhagic stroke is higher than among Caucasian populations. While stroke patients tend to arrive to hospital early, the level of stroke awareness among stroke patients is poor; as such, we hope that the information from this site can help one to recognize the stroke symptoms early and that treatment can be sought before it's too late. Inpatient and outpatient stroke therapy services are available. Many stroke patients are still disabled after their stroke. A national-level support group has been established. Over the years, the number of stroke victims and disabled stroke survivors will continue to rise. Types of StrokeStroke causes can appear as hemorrhagic strokes, ischemic strokes or transient ischemic attacks. Here's a list of the different types and some of the stroke symptoms :
The outcome after a stroke depends on where the stroke occurs and how much of the brain is affected. Smaller strokes may result in minor problems, such as weakness in an arm or leg. Larger strokes may lead to paralysis or death. Many stroke patients are left with weakness on one side of the body, difficulty speaking, incontinence, and bladder problems. Who gets stroke?Anyone can suffer from stroke, thus knowing stroke symptoms and stroke causes definitely helps minimize an onset of a stroke. Although many risk factors for stroke are out of our control, several can be kept in line through proper nutrition and medical care. Risk factors for stroke include the following:
Hopefully, learning about stroke symptoms is not just for people displaying the characteristics above, but also for their family members, so as to help increase the awareness of the dangers of stroke. Signs of a Stroke
Within a few minutes of having a stroke, brain cells begin to die and stroke symptoms can become present. It is important to recognize stroke symptoms, as prompt treatment is crucial to recovery.The most common symptoms of a stroke are:
When anyone of these signs of a stroke occur, one should immediately go to A&E, as early treatment is the only way to limit damage. As the American Association of Stroke puts it, “Time lost is brain loss”. Stroke CausesA stroke is a medical emergency, and anyone suspected of having a stroke or displaying some of the stroke symptoms or some signs of a stroke, should be taken to a hospital immediately so that tests can be run and the correct treatment can be provided as quickly as possible.Previous knowledge of the patient can improve the accuracy of the evaluation. A neurologist, a doctor specializing in disorders of the nervous system and diseases of the brain, will often assist in the diagnosis and management of stroke patients. Just because a person has slurred speech or weakness on one side of the body does not necessarily signal the occurrence of a stroke. There are many other possibilities that can be responsible for these stroke symptoms. Other conditions that can be stroke causes include:
Physicians have several tools available to screen for stroke risk and diagnose an active stroke. These include:
How is stroke treated?The primary goal in treating ischemic stroke is to restore blood flow to the brain. This will be attempted using blood clot-busting drugs such as aspirin, heparin, or tissue plasminogen activators that must be administered within three hours of the stroke. In addition, surgical procedures may be performed that can open up or widen arteries. These include carotid endarterectomy (removal of plaque and widening of the carotid artery) and angioplasty (a balloon that widens the carotid artery and is held open with a metallic mesh tube called a stent).A study found that cholesterol lowering drugs can prevent stroke recurrence. Hemorrhagic stroke is treated differently than ischmic stroke. Surgical methods used to treat this stroke variant include aneurysm clipping, aneurysm embolisation, and arteriovenous malformation (AVM) removal. Aneurysm clipping consists of a small clamp placed at the base of the aneurysm that isolates it from the circulation of it's attached artery and keeps the aneurysm from bursting or re-bleeding. Aneurysm embolisation (coiling) uses a catheter inserted into the aneurysm to deposit a tiny coil that coil fills the aneurysm, causing clotting and sealing off the aneurysm off from arteries. AVM removal is a surgical procedure to remove usually smaller AVMs or AMVs that are in more accessible portion of the brain in order to eliminate the risk of rupture. Different Folks…..When brain cells are damaged, information processing and transmission through the nervous system is disrupted, which results in a number of physical impairments called neurological deficits which impair the quality of life for the sufferer. These can include motor deficits, ranging from haemiplegia(paralysis), numbness and loss of strength to spasticity in fingers or toes.Facial paralysis can also occur, as well as cognitive impairments such as speech or vision problems. Strokes affects survivors in a myriad of ways- depending on which part of their brain was damaged. No stroke survivor displays stroke symptoms which is the same as another. After the stroke, most survivors will recover partially on their own. However, when discharged from hospital, most patients are still affected physically, emotionally and mentally. This is coupled with partial disability in most cases, and a need to change, relearn or re-define how they live. Hence, rehabilitation is then needed to help the survivor achieve an independent way of life.
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