Understanding Stroke, Its Signs, Symptoms, Effect, and Treatment.
The brain is a complex and delicate organ that controls your thought, memory, emotion, touch, motor skills, vision, breathing, temperature, hunger, and all processes that regulate our body.
So when something goes wrong with the brain the effect is visibly seen and felt.
The brain requires a constant supply of blood and oxygen for it to function properly.
A stroke occurs when one of the vessels leading to a portion of the brain becomes blocked by a blood clot. This may be due to inflammation, arteriosclerosis, or perhaps the presence of a clot or embolus from the heart.
At times one of the vessels leading to the brain may be ruptured because of a small aneurysm or an excessive localized swelling of the wall of an artery. This will cause a serious hemorrhage.
Any sudden elevation of blood pressure due perhaps to some emotion such as anger may rupture the aneurysm.
Most strokes are due to thrombosis or clotting of blood within the vessel. When this happens, that portion of the brain becomes necrotic and dies.
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Signs, symptoms, and effects of stroke
- Feeling of dizziness
- Accompany by nausea and vomiting
- The patient may complain of a severe headache
- Ensued by weakness or paralysis on one side of the body.
- The patient may find it difficult to see in one or both eyes
- Difficulty in walking, loss of balance or coordination
- Convulsion may follow
- The patient may pass into a coma from which he cannot be aroused for some time.
- The patient may suffer complete paralysis on one side and may not be able to speak.
- In more serious cases the patient may remain in a deep coma for several days. He may have a fever, a rapid pulse with labored breathing.
- A severe hemorrhage is usually fatal in two or three days
- Patients are more likely to recover if the stroke is due to thrombosis.
- Some permanent disability is to be expected, even with the best of care.
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Measures You Can Take To Prevent Stroke
Lower blood pressure
High blood pressure predisposes one to stroke. Any sudden rise in blood pressure due perhaps to some emotion such as anger may rupture the aneurysm.
High blood pressure also can weaken arteries and make them more likely to burst, which would cause a hemorrhagic stroke.
Always consult your doctor regularly to put check your blood pressure. It should be within a tolerable range ideally 120/80.
Always take your medications, eat healthy foods, and taking life easy will help in normalizing your blood pressure.
Overweight known as obesity is interlinked with hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease. This increases your risk of having a stroke.
It is very important as individuals that we maintain a healthy weight and if you are overweight, you should come up with a strategy of reducing your weight to a healthy and tolerable size.
You can achieve this with the collaboration between you and your personal physician with a nutritionist.
The basic rule is, to exercise regularly, you can walk instead of driving, eat healthy foods, vegetables, and fruits avoid unhealthy snacks.
One of the easiest ways to put your blood pressure and cholesterol level on the check is to engage in regular physical activity.
The cheapest exercise to do is walking you can aim for 30 minutes or more of walking five times a week. The goal is to have your heart beat a little faster and to sweat
Exercise contributes to losing weight and lowering blood pressure, it greatly helps in keeping stroke at bay.
Excessive drinking can increase blood pressure and the risk of stroke. The simple rule is whatever you do, do it in moderation. Stopping alcohol altogether will be a great blessing and a boost to your overall wellbeing.
Atrial fibrillation is a type of irregular heartbeat. Which may lead to blood clots in the heart that can move to the brain and cause a stroke.
The key is to identify the problem first, any irregular heartbeat should be investigated and appropriate action is taken.
In case atrial fibrillation is detected, get it treated immediately
Keeping your blood sugar within a tolerable range will help in averting stroke.
Having high blood sugar predisposes one to stroke, it damages the blood vessels over time, making clots more likely to form inside them.
Treating diabetes can delay the onset of complications that increase the risk of stroke.
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Nicotine causes an increase in blood pressure, heart rate, the flow of blood to the heart, and a narrowing of the arteries.
This reduces the amount of oxygen your blood can carry to the brain, and cigarette smoke makes your blood thicker and more likely to clot. Smoking also promotes aneurysm formation.
With a healthy diet and regular exercise, quitting smoking is one of the major steps toward reducing your risk of having a stroke.
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Treatment for Stroke Patient
Giving attention to early symptoms and signs, and prompt medical attention is pivotal to successful treatment and quick recovery. Good nursing is most important in all stroke cases.
If the patient is in a coma, it may be necessary to use a retention catheter to keep the bed clean and dry.
Patients not in a coma should be treated as normally as possible. If the stroke is due to a brain hemorrhage, the clot may be removed by surgery.
Every effort should be made to also encourage the patient to use the paralyzed limbs.
The way and manner family and friends express their love, understanding, and assurance to the patient is a key factor in the recovery process.
Gently massaging the paralyzed muscles and moving all the joints several times each day will greatly help.
As soon as possible, get the patient out of bed and let him walk around the room. The patient should be encouraged to engage in mild exercise.
If his speech is affected, he may benefit from the services of a speech therapist.
Severe cases are best handled in hospitals, but most elderly patients can be well cared for at home.