A stroke is a severe medical condition that occurs abruptly without warning and adversely affects the brain. It is a condition that is usually as a result of poor blood flow to the brain and hence forcing the body into a temporary vegetable state. The time a stroke victim takes to be treated determines how the body resumes its normal bodily functions. The longer one takes to be treated, the more the individual is likely to develop permanent paralysis of some body parts.
The brain is normally made of tiny blood vessels that just like any other part of the body. Sometimes the vessels may rapture hence preventing the normal blood flow to the brain. Apart from rapture, a blood clot within the vessels or a constriction can also hinder sufficient blood flow to the brain.
When blood does not flow to the brain as it is required, it cuts out the oxygen and nutrients supply to the brain. When this occurs, the brain cells die due to lack of nutrients resulting in the disabling of normal body function like movement, vision and memory.
There are two types of strokes; hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke. The latter is the most common one, with more than three quarters of stroke patients having experienced it. It is normally caused by a blood clot in a vessel that leads to or is within the brain. This clot hinders sufficient blow to the brain and in most cases, it is pushed by the blood to the brain, causing an ischemic stroke.
A hemorrhagic stroke on the other hand, is usually caused by the rapture of a blood vessel within the brain. This causes blood to spill out to the cavity between the brain and the skull. This hinders sufficient blood flow to the brain and a pressure build up, which results in a stroke.
Knowing the stroke signs is very crucial since the reaction after the first few minutes of having a stroke determine the recovery of an individual. Quick treatment after noting the symptoms is vital if the victim is to regain the full body functions. If the symptoms are not noted early enough, one may not get treated early hence risking permanent paralysis of some parts of the body.
One of the first symptoms that are bound to be noted on a stroke victim is dizziness and loss of body balance. One starts feeling very tired and looses body coordination and some of the normal body functions like walking become very difficult.
Due to the buildup of pressure within the brain, one also experiences a severe headache that could also result into loss of consciousness. A stroke victim cannot speak comprehensively due to the lack of the brain control and coordination in speech. Finally, one of the surest symptoms of stroke is the paralysis of some body parts, mostly on one half of the body.
The treatment of stroke greatly depends on the type of stroke a victim may have had. An ischemic stroke, for example, which is caused by a blood clot in the brain, will be treated by eliminating the clot. This is done through drugs like heparin, aspirin and other tissue plasminogen activators. For effective elimination of the clot, the treatment has to be done within the first three hours.
A hemorrhagic stroke on the other hand, is normally treated through surgical methods that are meant to repair any raptures on the blood vessels within the brain. Some of the common surgical procedures carried out include aneurysm embolism, aneurysm clipping and arteriovenous malformation removal.