What is a stroke

What is a stroke and what must we do in the case of a suspect, which symptoms must we recognise and how can we help ourselves or others!

A stroke is a damage done to the brain, it occurs when the blood flow in the brain suddenly stops due to the obstruction of an artery (ischemic) or, more rarely its breakage (hemorrhagic).  Without an immediate intervention (during the early hours of the attack) that brings oxygen to the hit part, the neurons start dying and this can lead to a serious disability and even death.

There are different types of stroke:

–ISCHEMIC STROKE: is the most common one and it is caused by a thrombus or embolus that obstructs an artery in the brain.  The thrombus can form itself directly in that blood vessel or it can arrive from other parts of the body through the blood flow.

–HEMORRHAGIC STROKE: is more rare and also much more dangerous.  It occurs due to a breakage of the arteries’ wall in the brain, it causes a cerebral hemorrhage that is very difficult to block.

–MINISTROKE OR TIA: is a Transient ischemic attack (TIA) which is a temporary drop of the blood flow in the brain, sufficient enough to make some symptoms appear and disappear within 24 hours.  It is however a fundamental alarm bell because it could occur before a more important stroke shows up.

SYMPTOMS

Amongst the most common symptoms we have:

-Sudden weakness in a limb or numbness on a side of the face;

-mental confusion, difficulty of speech,

-loss of balance and coordination.

Often accompanied by strong head pains with also blackouts.

WHAT MUST BE DONE IN THE CASE OF A SUSPECT
The three hours following the very first symptoms are the most important ones, the whole patient’s situation depends on these, infact we must reach the hospital as quick as possible in order to receive the firts cures, since this means reducing to the minimum the damage or even getting back to the pre-stroke normal condition.  However unfortunately according to an American research many youngsters give little weight to the first symptoms and postpone the request for aid when the situation is much more serious and this implies major damage or even death.

In the case of a stroke it is very important that the person suffering from this situation is given assistance in a specialised unit, and in the case of an ischemic stroke the emergency treatment consists of using thrombolytic or fibrinolytic medicines that allow the dissolution of the arterial occlusion and the restoration of the blood flow.
The treatment for hemorrhagic stroke is more complex: one points on checking blood pressure, the hemorrhage and the cerebral hematoma.

One can recover but it all depends on the part of the brain that is damaged, and also according to this there can be problems related to movement, like the paralysis of the limbs of one side of the body, difficulty in speaking or reasoning, therefore it is necessary to undergo a correct rehabilitation that helps in functional recovery.

A FEW NUMBERS

-Every 4 minutes a stroke is occurred in Italy

-in 2010 there were about 200,000 cases

-In the first month the death rate is about 20%

-30% of the persons hit by a stroke remain serious disabled

-Stroke can be reduced by 90% just by modifying our lifestyle

Take a look at our tried and tested method: Anti-Diet