What is a stroke?
Stroke is a type of cardiovascular disease.
A stroke happens when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When this happens, part of the brain can’t get the blood and oxygen it needs, so it starts to die.
There are three types of strokes:
- TIAs (Transient Ischemic Attacks): "Warning strokes" or mini strokes that may occur before a more damaging stroke. Blood flow in an artery in the brain is blocked or reduced for a short time.
- Ischemic Stroke: Blood vessels to the brain are blocked so brain cells don’t get the blood or oxygen they need. This is the most common type of stroke.
- Hemorrhagic Stroke: A blood vessel in the brain burst or is leaking and brain cells are not getting the oxygen and nutrients they need.
When part of the brain dies from lack of blood flow, the part of the body it controls won't work as it should. This is why a stroke can cause paralysis, affect speech and vision, and cause other problems.
If a stroke occurs toward the back of the brain, for instance, it's likely that the person will have some problem with vision. The effects of a stroke depend on what part of the brain is not getting the blood it needs.
What are the warning signs?
These are the warning signs of a stroke:
- Numbness/Weakness. Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body.
- Confusion. Sudden confusion, trouble speaking, or understanding.
- Vision. Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
- Movement. Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance, or coordination.
- Headache. Sudden, severe headache with no known cause.
If you or someone with you has one or more of these signs, don't delay!
What should I do?
- Call 911 immediately. Immediately call 911 so an ambulance can be sent.
- Check the time. Check the time so you'll know when the first symptoms started. It's very important to take action right away. You have only 3 hours from when the symptoms start to be able to get help from a clot-busting drug that can prevent some of the damage that can be caused by the most common type of stroke.
- Start CPR. Start CPR only if you are certified and only if the victim stops breathing. CPR stands for "Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation." It is a procedure you can learn to help people suffering a stroke. CPR involves a combination of mouth-to-mouth rescue breathing and chest compressions. It keeps some oxygen-rich blood flowing to the brain and other vital organs until medical help arrives. The local American Heart Association or Red Cross offers free classes where you can train and certify in this life-saving technique.
How can I reduce the risk of getting a stroke?
These are the things that you may be able to change or treat to prevent strokes:
- High Blood Pressure - High blood pressure increases the heart's work load, causing the heart to thicken and become stiffer. It also increases our risk of stroke, heart attack, kidney failure and congestive heart failure. High blood pressure is the #1 risk factor for stroke.
- Tobacco Use - Smoking almost doubles a person's risk for the most common type of stroke. Cigarette smoking increases the risk of stroke by hardening the arteries and increasing the levels of blood clotting factors. Also, nicotine raises blood pressure, and carbon monoxide lowers the amount of oxygen that blood carries to the brain.
- Diabetes - Diabetes increases our risk of getting heart disease and of having a stroke. The risks are even greater if blood sugar is not well controlled. About three out of four people with diabetes die of some form of heart or blood vessel disease. If you have diabetes, it's very important to work with your doctor to manage it and control any other risk factors you can.
- High Cholesterol - Some strokes happen when arteries get narrow from the buildup of plaque (a mixture of fatty substances, including cholesterol). Plaque and blood clots build up inside the artery walls, causing them to thicken and harden. This can reduce the blood flow and can lead to stroke if it takes place in the arteries that go to the brain. For one kind of cholesterol, it is good to have higher levels: high–density lipoprotein cholesterol, or HDL. For low-density lipoprotein (LDL), having too much of this type of cholesterol is bad and can lead to stroke. Your doctor can check these levels and help you lower your risk.
- Alcohol Use - Heavy alcohol use can lead to an increase in blood pressure, which increases the risk for stroke.
- Obesity/Overweight - People who have excess body fat are more likely to develop heart disease and stroke. Excess weight increases the heart's work. It raises blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and triglyceride (tri-GLIS'er-ide) levels. It also lowers HDL ("good") cholesterol levels. It can also make diabetes more likely to develop. By losing even as few as 10 to 20 pounds, we can lower the risk of heart disease.
Unfortunately, there are a few risk factors that we just can't change, like growing older or having a family history of stroke. But, by doing what we can with the ones that we can change, we can really improve our odds of being healthy.
Source: http://www.startwithyourheart.com/StrokeHome.html
NC Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Branch and
http://www.cdc.gov/Stroke/risk_factors.htm
Centers for Disease Control