What is a stroke?
Stroke is a devastating medical condition which can cause long lasting damage and disability if not treated urgently. It is a medical emergency. Each minute, the brain loses around two million cells. So, very urgent and early treatment will lead to good recovery and avoidance of long term physical and mental disability.
What a stroke caused by?
A stroke happens when a blood vessel inside the brain is blocked by a blood clot. It can also happen when there is bleeding inside or around the brain.
Types of stroke:
Ischaemic stroke is the stroke caused by a blood clot blocking a blood vessel inside the brain.
Haemorrhagic stroke is the stroke caused by bleeding inside or around the brain.
Stroke symptoms and stroke signs:
The best way to detect a stroke is to act FAST: also known as FAST Test:
Face: Does the face look uneven? Is one corner of the mouth drooping?
Arm: Ask the person to raise their arm up and keep it raised. Is the person
unable to raise the arm or unable to keep it raised?
Speech: Is the person unable to speak fluently? Is the person unable to find
the right words? Is the speech gibberish?
Time: If the answer to any of these questions is Yes, then it is Time to call 999
immediately. You will be saving a life and helping good recovery.
Treatment of Stroke: The person with a stroke will have a CT head scan. If the Stroke is caused by a blood clot, the person may receive a clot busting drug if the arrive to the hospital quickly after the onset of the Stroke. In addition to this, some hospitals have facilities of removing the blood clot from the brain. Aspirin will be given after 24 hours after doing another CT scan.
If the Stroke is caused by bleeding, then, in some cases, an operation may be needed to remove the blood.
After initial recovery from Stroke, the person will receive Stroke Physiotherapy and Stroke Rehabilitation which could take few weeks to few months.
Candidates for Stroke or Risks of Stroke:
High blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, alcohol, atrial fibrillation (irregular heart beats), and high cholesterol are the most common causes which put people at higher risk of having a stroke. All these factors can be controlled and Stroke can be prevented.
More Information:
The following websites contain very useful information about Stroke Prevention and support after Stroke recovery:
Stroke association
NHS stroke
Think Ahead Stroke: https://www.think-ahead.org.uk