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Stroke - nobody expects it to come. A stroke is caused by disturbances in the cerebral circulation. The extent to which it will change our life so far depends largely on how quickly neurological treatment is undertaken. With it, you can get out of a stroke unscathed. But every minute counts.

Stroke- the immediate cause of the disease is focal ischemia within a specific area ( ischemic stroke ) or hemorrhage ( hemorrhagic stroke ). Ischemic stroke accounts for 85 percent. cases of disease. It is caused by narrowing or obstruction of the intracerebral (usually carotid) or intracerebral arteries due to atherosclerotic changes or an embolism caused by a clot formed in the heart (e.g. during atrial fibrillation). Only 15 percent of cases of the disease are hemorrhagic stroke. This may be an intracerebral or subarachnoid haemorrhage. It is caused by a rupture of the intracerebral artery wall, which may be caused by an aneurysm (congenital defect) or changes in the vessel wall, most often associated with many years of hypertension.

Early symptoms of stroke

Every stroke is life-threatening, so the patient should be promptly admitted to the hospital in the stroke unit, preferably within an hour of the onset of symptoms. The most common of them are:

  • muscle weakness (paresis) of one half of the body; in extreme cases, limb paralysis occurs;
  • numbness in one half of the body, which may be limited to two levels, e.g. face and hand;
  • short-term visual disturbances manifested by partial amblyopia (the patient can only see the left or right side of the field of view) or in blindness (usually in one eye);
  • speech disorders - the patient speaks indistinctly, does not understand what is said to him, does not follow instructions, cannot name everyday objects;
  • dizziness, nausea, balance difficulties;
  • severe headache, impaired consciousness.

Note: note the time of onset of stroke symptoms and to make sure they are related to the condition, conduct a simple neurological test.

Symptoms of Stroke: Simple Test

If you notice such changes in a loved one,ask them to:

  • smiled - if you see her lifting only half of her mouth, the other part of her face may be paralyzed
  • she raised both hands above her head at the same time - if she cannot do it, you have proof that the paresis has affected half of her body
  • repeated a simple sentence, e.g. today is nice weather - if she speaks indistinctly or cannot utter a word at all - call an ambulance immediately

Stroke: symptoms

Instant Stroke Diagnosis

The introduction to it is a clinical trial. If the results suggest a stroke, a CT scan should be performed within 30 minutes of the patient being brought to the emergency room. This study, among others distinguishes between ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, which is important in the treatment of the disease. Further diagnosis depends on the type of stroke. If the patient has clinical symptoms that indicate a subarachnoid haemorrhage, and the result of the brain CT scan is not clear, perform a lumbar puncture to examine the cerebrospinal fluid.

Treatment of cerebral ischemia

For ischemic stroke, neurologists have a new treatment option. It is the intravenous thrombolytic therapy that can dissolve the clot that is blocking the artery. However, they must be applied within 4.5 hours from the moment of falling ill, and preferably - within 1.5 hours. It is the most effective causal treatment for stroke. The basic condition for its applicability is the short time during which the patient was admitted to the hospital with a stroke unit. In severe cases of ischemic stroke, when intravenous thrombolytic therapy has failed, thrombolytic drugs can be given directly to the site of the thrombus. Currently, such treatments are performed only as part of clinical trials. In haemorrhagic strokes, endovascular procedures are sometimes used to prevent re-bleeding (subarachnoid haemorrhage caused by an aneurysm rupture). Sometimes, when a patient's condition worsens, neurosurgery is performed. Conservative treatment of stroke consists primarily in securing the patient's vital functions and treating existing diseases. An important element of treatment is comprehensive rehabilitation, the task of which is to reduce disability after a stroke. It begins 24 hours after admission to the hospital in the stroke unit, and after 7-10 days it continues for 3-6 weeks in the rehabilitation unit.

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Category:

Neurology