Q: What causes a Brain stroke?
A: A stroke occurs when the brain’s blood supply is cut off (called an ischemic stroke, which is very common) or a blood vessel ruptures (called a brain haemorrhage). Strokes can cause irreversible damage or even “death” to the affected area of the brain. When the blood supply is interrupted, brain cells (neurons) are deprived of the oxygen and nutrients they need to survive and function. They are just as serious as a heart attack and require the same immediate medical attention.
Arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), a normal ageing process, increases the risk of stroke. It can narrow or block the arteries and cause a stroke.
Q: What kinds of health problems lead to stroke?
A: Brain stroke, like a heart attack, is essentially a lifestyle-related disease. Smoking, high blood pressure, Alcohol abuse, an irregular heart rhythm (fibrillation), diabetes, obesity, stress, and lack of exercise raise one’s risk for stroke. Rheumatic heart disease, artificial heart valves, and an enlarged heart also increase the probability of having a stroke.
Q: How can I tell if I or another person is having a stroke?
A: These symptoms are sudden in onset.
Weakness or paralysis of one side of the face or body or one arm or leg
- Loss of sensation on one side of the face or the body
- Sudden change in speech, such as the inability to get words out, nonsense speech, or slurred speech
- An inability to swallow
- Drooping on one side of the face
- Sudden mental confusion
- Sudden and severe headache
Q: What should I do if I think I’m having a stroke?
A: Use the B.E.D.F.A.S.T.T. acronym below to determine if someone is having a stroke:
Balance-loss of balance
Eyes- sudden trouble seeing
Dizziness- Watch out for frequent early morning dizziness, mainly when there is no apparent cause like BPVV, low blood pressure or low blood sugar.
Face – Ask the person to smile. Is one side of the face crooked or drooping?
Arms – Ask the person to raise both arms in the air. Is there difficulty with one arm?
Speech – Ask the person to speak. Are the words are slurred or is the person unable to speak?
Terrible headaches.
Time – Time is of the essence.
Q: How soon should I consult the physician or a neurologist?
A: Immediately, as soon as possible, preferably within 3 hours
Q: What is the hurry?
A: A new intravenous treatment, called thrombolysis, can reduce disability from stroke. It must be given within three hours since the symptoms started, so time is essential. Other medical problems, such as high blood sugar, dehydration, and dangerously elevated blood pressure may also require immediate attention.
Q: What is the “golden hour?
The golden hour is a period in which very rapid therapy is more effective than delayed therapy, “time lost is brain lost.” Each hour left untreated can cause your brain to lose as many neurons as it does in almost 3.6 years of normal ageing.
It is “golden” because stroke patients have a much greater chance of surviving and avoiding long-term brain damage if they arrive at the hospital and receive treatment within that first hour. But, it can extend up to a maximum of 3 hours.
Treatment within the golden hour is more successful in ischemic strokes because patients are candidates for the powerful clot-busting drug known as tPA (short for tissue plasminogen activator), which must be given within the first few hours after a stroke.
Q: What is the time frame to receive tPA for an Ischemic stroke? Have the guidelines changed?
After a stroke, you’ve got very little time to get treatment. A drug called tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) dissolves clots and restores blood flow. The drug must be given as soon as possible after a stroke. With every passing minute, more brain cells die. Current recommendations discourage tPA use more than three hours after onset of a stroke because the risks of tPA treatment, such as uncontrollable bleeding in the brain, outweigh the benefits. However, some recent clinical trials found that selected patients still benefit from tPA up to 4.5 hours after a stroke.
Q: Does stroke affect the younger population, or is it restricted to old age?
Brain stroke in the young population is on the rise, possibly due to unhealthy lifestyles and early appearance of risk factors, such as obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes. There is also the possibility that a person has an undiagnosed cardiac abnormality or a family history of early-onset stroke, which are both risk factors. 8. How long does it take to regain speech after a stroke?
Q: Are strokes hereditary?
It does seem that genetics can play a role in the risk for strokes. Some of the conditions that can lead to stroke have hereditary links, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. If these conditions run in your family, there is a chance that you share those risk factors.
Even if these risk factors don’t run in your family, if you have a parent who has suffered a stroke, research has shown that you are more likely to have a stroke yourself. According to a study conducted by Boston University, children of individuals who had strokes before age 65 were two times more likely to have a stroke at some point in their lives and four times more likely of having a stroke by age 65, when compared to study participants whose parents had not experienced a stroke.
Q: How big of a role does family history play in stroke?
Family history of stroke does increase your chance of stroke. We call that a “non-modifiable” risk factor. Some other non-modifiable risk factors include the following.
Q: What makes you more susceptible to the risk of stroke?
A brain stroke, like a heart attack, is largely related to an unhealthy lifestyle, like junk food, smoking, and alcohol abuse, to name a few, which leads to obesity, hypertension, diabetes, etc.
The incidence of young stroke in adolescents and young adults aged 15 to 49 is increasing. In fact, your risk of suffering a stroke doubles every 10 years after age 55. Most often, high blood pressure is the common variable between young and older stroke victims.
Q: What can I do to reduce my risk for stroke?
- If you smoke, stop.
- Know your numbers: Blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol. Keep these levels within normal range.
- Avoid excessive use of alcohol (no more than two drinks per day).
- Exercise regularly.
- Maintain a healthy body weight.
- Meditation and yoga are good for brain health and to reduce the stress.
Q: What are other “non-modifiable” risk factors
A:
- Age – After the age of 55, stroke risk doubles for every decade a person is alive.
- Gender – In people under 75, men have more strokes than women. However, women in total experience more strokes each year than men, mainly because women live longer than men and stroke occurs more often at older ages. Stroke kills twice as many women as breast cancer does every year.
- Race and ethnicity – African Americans have twice the risk of stroke, partially because they are more susceptible to high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity. Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islanders also have higher risk of stroke than Caucasians.
Q: What are the risk factors for brain stroke?
A: SHAADOWSS
Smoking
Hypertension
Alcohol abuse
Atrial fibrillation
Diabetes
Obesity (BMI)
Wellspring for family history
Sedentary lifestyle (lack of physical exercise)
Stress
Q: How can hypertension affect pregnancy?
Hypertension is a serious public health concern, and it is the stand-alone primary risk factor for brain stroke and the fifth leading cause of death globally. In recent years, hypertension in pregnancy has increased notably.
Hypertension in pregnancy encompasses chronic hypertension and pregnancy-associated hypertension, including gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, eclampsia, and chronic hypertension with superimposed preeclampsia or eclampsia. Pregnancy-associated hypertension heightens cardiovascular risks for mothers and babies, both immediate and in the long term. These risks may be reduced through timely, effective hypertension management.
Q: How can I prevent another stroke?
A: Other strokes can be prevented only if the cause of the stroke is understood. If you have already suffered a stroke, it is essential to treat the cause as soon as possible.
For example, if high blood pressure was the cause, your doctor will work with you to keep it under control.
Q: What types of medications are used to prevent strokes?
A: The most commonly used medications are aspirin, clopidogrel (Plavix), combination aspirin/extended-release dipyridamole (Aggrenox), ticlopidine (Ticlid), and warfarin (Coumadin).
Warfarin is an anticoagulant that reduces the blood’s ability to clot. It is especially useful for people who have irregular heart rhythms or other types of heart disease, an abnormal heart valve, or have had a valve replaced. The dose of warfarin will depend on the results of a blood test.
Q: Can stroke patients recover fully?
Yes, it is possible to recover completely from a stroke, provided they are treated within Golden Hour. Of all stroke patients, 10 per cent will make a full recovery, while 25 per cent will recover with minor impairments. Some patients (40 per cent) will require special care due to more severe impairments, and 10 per cent of individuals who had a stroke will need a nursing home or long-term care facility. Unfortunately, 15 per cent of stroke patients die after their stroke.
The brain can develop new connections after a stroke. This is known as Neuroplasticity. Healthy brain areas have been known to take over the damaged portions. This type of recovery varies from patient to patient and cannot be predicted, but even stroke patients with severe damage sometimes make unexpected recoveries. Rehabilitation and therapy can help the recovery process both physically and mentally.
Q: How long does it take to recover from a stroke?
Most stroke patients will need some form of rehabilitation, and the recovery timeline varies by the individual. Some stroke patients recover relatively quickly, but if the stroke or the related complications are severe, it can take months or years. The rehab process will change over time depending on the patient’s needs and progress.
Q: How can a stroke be prevented?
There are many ways to reduce your stroke risk or even prevent it entirely. Living a healthy lifestyle involving a well-balanced diet, introducing a reasonable amount of physical activity, and maintaining a healthy body weight will significantly diminish your stroke risk.
Q: My mother recently had a stroke because of high blood pressure. I do not have either hypertension or diabetes. Am I likely to have a stroke in the future?
Regardless of your family history, a stroke doesn’t have to be inevitable. Here are some ways to protect yourself starting today.
- Don’t smoke.
- Get regular exercise, at least 30 minutes a day.
- Eat a healthy diet
- Keep your body mass index at 25 or less.
- Drink alcohol in moderation.
- Monitor your blood pressure and maintain a blood pressure of less than 120/80. I like the DASH Diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) to help lower blood pressure without medication.
Q: Does Vitamin K prevent stroke?
Current guidelines don’t recommend taking vitamin K to prevent stroke.
Q: Are headaches common after a stroke?
Headaches are quite common after a stroke. There are some good medications, such as Neurontin or amitriptyline, which can make a drastic improvement in the severity of his headaches.
Q: Does a brain stroke change the personality?
Personality changes are common after a stroke. A stroke causes structural changes to the brain, depending on the location of the stroke. If the frontal lobe is affected, personality changes can result. In addition, many stroke survivors experience feelings of anger, depression, frustration, anxiety, sadness, fear and hopelessness, which affects more than a third of stroke survivors.
Q: Has COVID-19 increased the risk of strokes?
Researchers have learned throughout this pandemic how COVID-19 has impacted the body beyond the lungs. Doctors are now seeing patients have issues with other organs, such as the kidneys and increased stroke risk.
A study earlier this year from researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and New York-Presbyterian found that COVID-19 patients were seven times more at risk of developing an ischemic stroke than patients with the flu. COVID-19 can also increase your risk of cardiovascular complications tied to heightened stroke risk.
Q: What are the acronyms used in Brainline
A: 1. BROLO: Brain Only Live Once
- SHAADOWSS- Smoking, Hypertension, Alcohol abuse, Atrial fibrillation, Diabetes, Obesity (BMI), Wellspring (family history), Sedentary work (no physical exercise), Stress. These are the risk factors.
- BEDFASTT: Balance-loss of balance
Eyes- sudden trouble seeing
Dizziness- Watch out for frequent early morning dizziness, mainly when there is no apparent cause like BPVV, low blood pressure or low blood sugar.
Face – Ask the person to smile. Is one side of the face crooked or drooping
Arms – Ask the person to raise both arms in the air. Is there difficulty with one arm?
Speech – Ask the person to speak. Are the words are slurred or is the person unable to speak?
Terrible headaches.
Time – Time is of the essence.
Q: Which riskometer is used in Brainline
