COMMON LIFESTYLE DISEASES: STROKE

EMS 355 By: Dr. Bushra Bilal

INTRODUCTION

Also called Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA)

Stroke is a sudden loss of brain function caused by the interruption of blood flow to the brain, as a result of either an ischemic stroke (a blood clot)

or a hemorrhagic stroke (the rupture of a

blood vessel and bleeding into or around the brain).

TYPES OF STROKE

An ischemic stroke is the result of blockage in blood flow to the brain caused by a blood clot.

The buildup of plaque in the artery wall (atherosclerosis, or "hardening of the arteries") is an underlying cause for many ischemic strokes.

A hemorrhagic stroke is caused by bleeding into the brain (intracerebral hemorrhage)

or

bleeding around the brain (subarachnoid hemorrhage) which results from the breakage of a blood vessel.

Brain hemorrhages may result from uncontrolled high blood pressure, or can be caused by structural problems within the blood vessels

RISK FACTORS

Factors you can't control are:

i. age: The risk of stroke increases with advancing age.

ii. ethnicity: People of First Nations, African, Hispanic, and South Asian descent have greater rates of high blood pressure and diabetes.

iii. family history: The risk of stroke may be higher if a parent or sibling has had a stroke before the age of 65.

iv. gender: Men have a higher risk of stroke than women who have not reached menopause.

v. prior stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA): Up to one-third of people who survive a first stroke or TIA will have another stroke within 5 years.

Factors you can control are: high blood pressure heart disease or atrial fibrillation

(irregular heartbeat) cigarette smoking diabetes high cholesterol physical inactivity high alcohol intake stress

SYMPTOMS/COMPLICATIONS

The symptoms of stroke appear suddenly, over a few minutes or hours or at most a couple of days. Individuals should be able to recognize the 5 main symptoms of stroke and seek immediate medical attention if any of these symptoms occur:

i. sudden paralysis or numbness of the face, arm, or leg (usually on only one side of the body)

ii. sudden loss of speech or trouble understanding speech

iii. sudden loss of vision (often in one eye only) or double vision

iv. sudden dizziness or loss of balance or coordination

v. sudden severe and unusual headache with no known cause

TREATMENT/PREVENTION

Short-term treatments include using injections.

i. thrombolytics (e.g., tissue plasminogen activator, tPA)

ii. anticoagulants (e.g., heparin)

Long-term treatments include medications taken by mouth to reduce the risk of recurrent strokes. These include:

i. antiplatelets e.g., acetylsalicylic acid (Aspirin)

ii. anticoagulants or "blood thinners" (e.g. warfarin)

HEALTHY LIFE-STYLE TIPS

stop smoking tobacco increase your level of physical

activity limit your alcohol intake to no

more than 2 drinks per day for women and no more than 3 drinks per for men

maintain a well-balanced diet reach a healthy weight manage stress in your life

Manage your medications and medical conditions: take your medications as directed by your doctor if you have high blood pressure, monitor your blood pressure

regularly if you have a heart condition such as congestive heart, take

medications as recommended by your doctor if you have diabetes, use a monitor to check your blood sugar

regularly