Healthy Considerations

A stroke occurs when an artery carrying blood to the brain gets clogged or bursts, disrupting the blood supply. The brain, deprived of oxygen, begins to die. A stroke is reported every 45 seconds, and a death by stroke every three minutes. Interestingly, women are more susceptible to strokes than men. Statistics show that of every five stroke victims, two are men and three women.

A stroke that damages the right brain can cause paralysis in the left side of the body. It can also affect vision or lead to memory loss. When the stroke damages the left part of the brain, the victim’s right body can be paralyzed. Also, the victim can suffer speech problems or memory loss.

Some of the common symptoms of stroke are: sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body; sudden problems in speaking; sudden blurring of vision in one or both eyes; sudden trouble in walking, dizziness or loss of balance. Anyone who experiences these symptoms must immediately seek medical help.

The strokes take two different forms. Ischemic strokes result from the clogging of arteries, and hemorrhagic strokes are caused by the bursting of arteries in the brain.  The hemorrhagic stroke requires surgical intervention because the blood flows out of the ruptured artery and starts exercising pressure on the brain. The ischemic stroke is treated by removing or dissolving clots.

There are three ways to treat a stroke. The first is preventive. It involves the proper diagnosis of precursive conditions such as blood clotting, hypertension, diabetes, and taking regular medications to minimize these conditions, thereby helping to prevent a stroke. The second is regulatory, which is therapy that tries to reduce damage once an individual is struck by a stroke. The third is based on rehabilitation. Its aim is to assist the patient recover from the affects of a stroke.

One in every four patients has a second stroke within 5 years of the first one. This makes post-stroke care even more important. Stroke sufferers need to be especially aware of minor strokes that may go overlooked. These are called Transient Ischemic Attacks or TIA. They result from temporary clotting in the arteries and serve as warning signals.

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