| Stroke is a disease that affects the blood vessels | | | | brain that make this more likely. The flow of |
| that supply blood to the brain. Without blood to | | | | blood after the blood vessel ruptures damages |
| supply oxygen and nutrients and to remove | | | | brain cells. Hemorrhage (or bleeding) from an |
| waste products, brain cells quickly begin to die. | | | | artery in the brain can be caused by a head injury |
| Stroke is sometimes called a "brain attack. Stroke | | | | or a burst aneurysm. Aneurysms are blood-filled |
| is a medical emergency and can cause permanent | | | | pouches that balloon out from weak spots in the |
| neurological damage or even death if not | | | | artery wall. They're often caused or made worse |
| promptly diagnosed and treated. It is the third | | | | by high blood pressure. Aneurysms aren't always |
| leading cause of death and the leading cause of | | | | dangerous, but if one bursts in the brain, they |
| adult disability in the United States and | | | | cause a hemorrhagic stroke.Symptoms of a |
| industrialized European nations. Stroke is the third | | | | stroke include sudden numbness or weakness, |
| leading cause of death in the United States and | | | | especially on one side of the body; sudden |
| the leading cause of disability. Stroke kills about | | | | confusion or trouble speaking or understanding |
| 150, 000 Americans each year, or almost one out | | | | speech; sudden trouble seeing in one or both |
| of three stroke victims. Strokes affect blacks | | | | eyes; sudden trouble with walking, dizziness, or |
| more often than whites, and are more likely to be | | | | loss of balance or coordination and sudden severe |
| fatal among blacks. Men have more strokes than | | | | headache. |
| women. But, women have a risk of stroke during | | | | There are several available treatments for Stroke. |
| pregnancy and the weeks immediately after | | | | Oxygen may be given to be sure that your brain |
| pregnancy. The cause of stroke is an interruption | | | | is getting the maximal amount. Taking birth control |
| in the blood supply, with a resulting depletion of | | | | pills is generally safe for young, healthy women. |
| oxygen and glucose in the affected area. This | | | | Treatment of blood pressure that is too high or |
| immediately reduces or abolishes neuronal | | | | too low may be necessary in treating a stroke. |
| function, and also initiates an ischemic cascade | | | | Ischemic stroke is treated by removing |
| which causes neurons to die or be seriously | | | | obstruction and restoring blood flow to the brain. |
| damaged, further impairing brain function. Risk | | | | A patient is given antiplatelet medication (aspirin, |
| factors for stroke include advanced age, | | | | clopidogrel, dipyridamole), or anticoagulant |
| hypertension (high blood pressure), previous | | | | medication (warfarin), dependent on the cause, |
| stroke or TIA (transient ischaemic attack), | | | | when this type of stroke has been found. TPA is |
| diabetes mellitus, high cholesterol, cigarette | | | | most important new treatments over the last |
| smoking, atrial fibrillation, migraine with aura, and | | | | few years for the immediate treatment of a |
| thrombophilia. Practice blood pressure is the most | | | | stroke is a medicine called tPA(Tissue Plasminogen |
| important modifiable risk factor of stroke. | | | | Activator). use of Heparin and Aspirin drugs to |
| Many other risk factors, such as cigarette | | | | thin the blood (anticoagulation; for example, |
| smoking cessation and treatment of atrial | | | | heparin) are also sometimes used in treating |
| fibrillation with anticoagulant drugs, are important. | | | | stroke patients in the hopes of improving the |
| There are two main types of stroke. One | | | | patient's recovery. Rehabilitation can also take |
| (ischemic stroke) is caused by blockage of a | | | | place at a nursing facility. The rehabilitation process |
| blood vessel. Usually this type of stroke results | | | | can include some or all of the following: (1) speech |
| from clogged arteries, a condition called | | | | therapy to relearn talking and swallowing; (2) |
| atherosclerosis. Fatty deposits collect on the wall | | | | occupational therapy to regain dexterity in the |
| of the arteries, forming a sticky substance called | | | | arms and hands; (3) physical therapy to improve |
| plaque. Other (hemorrhagic stroke) is caused by | | | | strength and walking; and (4) family education to |
| bleeding. Bleeding strokes have a much higher | | | | orient them in caring for their loved one at home |
| fatality rate than strokes caused by clots. Some | | | | and the challenges they will face. |
| people have defects in the blood vessels of the | | | | |