What Is A Stroke?
Oxygen and nutrients flow to the brain through blood vessels. When one of these blood vessels bursts or is clogged by a blood clot, the oxygen and nutrients can no longer flow to the brain and a stroke occurs. Being deprived of the essential blood and oxygen results in nerve cells in the affected areas being killed within minutes.
Nerve cells control body functions. When the nerve cells die the part of the body they control no longer functions. Brain cells do not regenerate and cannot be replaced, resulting in permanent damage.
Strokes are considered to be cardiovascular disease because they are the result of a problem in the blood vessels.
How Do I Know If I'm Having A Stroke?
The American Stroke Association says these are the warning signs of stroke:
- Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
- Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
- Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
- Sudden, severe headache with no known cause
Not all of these signs will occur with every stroke, so action must be taken if only a few signs are evident. There are also other causes of some of these symptoms, but they should be dealt with as if they were the worst possible case so as not to waste time if in fact they are.
I've Heard of Mini-Strokes - What Are They?
The so-called "mini-stroke" is actually a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA). It has the same signs and symptoms of a stroke, but it seems to only last a few minutes.
About 10% of all strokes are preceded by TIA's. Of the people who have had a TIA or mini-stroke, close to 40% go on to have a "complete" stroke. A person who has had one or more TIA is almost 10% more likely to have a stroke than someone of the same sex and age who has never had a TIA.
DO NOT BE FOOLED by the name "mini-stroke" or the short-lived symptoms. They are very important stroke warning signs and should be treated. CALL 911 immediately and get the medical help you so urgently need.
What To Do If You (Or Someone You're With) Has Symptoms
First and foremost call 911 - time is of the essence and any delay could be deadly.
Note the time of the onset of symptoms. If the patient is treated within 3 hours of the original onset he/she may be eligible to receive a clot-busting injection, which has the potential of reducing long-term disability from the most common type of stroke.
EVERY TIA and STROKE is SERIOUS and should not be ignored. Call 911 for immediate medical care.
Can A Stroke Be Prevented?
There are certain life style actions that can bring on or help prevent a stroke. Hypertension (high blood pressure) is a leading cause of strokes, so knowing our blood pressure and taking action to control it is imperative.
Normal blood pressure is 130/85 or lower. There is a slight buffer zone (130/85 to 129/89) that is considered "High Normal" and it is time to start monitoring it closely. If your blood pressure reads 140/90 or higher it is categorized as hypertension and should be medically treated.
Some people are more prone to hypertension that others. The highest "at-risk" groups include people with Diabetes. Heart Disease, Previous Strokes and Kidney Disease. A family history of hypertension also increases your odds as does being African-American.
Life style factors such as obesity, inactivity, alcohol abuse and cigarette smoking also play a major role in increasing the risk of a stroke. .
There are no guarantees that maintaining a healthy blood pressure will prevent a stroke. However, there is much more certainty that NOT maintaining a healthy blood pressure WILL cause a stroke.
Blood Pressure can be easily controlled through diet, exercise and medication.
It is essential that we all see our Health Care Provider on a regular basis. We are, after all, responsible for our healthy and our future. This is an easy step in helping to assure a long healthy life.
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