Storke

A Stroke is a blockage in an artery in the brain or neck that supplies blood to the brain. When a clot forms in one of those arteries and stops blood flow, a section of the brain begins to die. When those cells die, the person loses whatever function those brain cells controlled. There is another category called the 'hemorrhagic stroke' in which a blood vessel bursts and bleeds in the brain.

While the common symptoms of a heart attack are chest pain, tightness and shoulder pain, the symptoms of stroke are completely different and may range from nothing to headache, paralysis of an arm or leg, unconsciousness, coma and death. Another type of stroke is a transient ischemic attack (TIA), essentially a “mini-stroke” caused by a temporary clot. TIA symptoms are identical to those of other kinds of strokes, but because they occur quickly and usually last less than five minutes, this brain attack often goes unnoticed. While a TIA doesn’t usually cause permanent injury to the brain, it serves as a warning for patients and gives them time to seek further medical treatment in preventing ischemic or hemorrhagic strokes.

Because specific areas of the brain control certain functions, one can predict the effects of a stroke based on the location of the blockage. If the blockage occurs near the front of the brain, it can affect such things as organization skills, memory, communication, and problem solving. If it occurs lower down, near the brainstem, it can cause unconsciousness and an inability to breathe, swallow, or control elimination.if it occurs to one side near the temple, speech may be affected. In addition, which side (hemisphere) of the brain the stroke occurs on determines its side effects and which body functions are affected. The right side generally controls a person's emotions, creativity and abstract thinking. If the blockage occurs anywhere on the right side of the brain, it can cause the following symptoms:

• Paralysis or weakness on the left side of the body
• Disorientation
• Excessive talking
• An inability to perform routine tasks such as brushing the teeth, buttoning a shirt or tying shoelace

The left side controls more of speech, logic, perception and organization. If the stroke occurs anywhere on the left side of the brain, it can cause the following symptoms:

• Paralysis or weakness on the right side of the body
• Depression
• An inability to understand language
• Trouble speaking
• Memory problems
• Decreased attention span
• Heart attack and Stroke have many risk factors in common. They may be modifiable or non-modifiable. Some of the modifiable risk factors include
• High Blood Pressure
• Heart Disease
• Diabetes Mellitus
• Cigarette smoking
• History of transient Ischemic Attacks (TIAs)
• High blood Cholesterol
• Lack of exercise, physical inactivity
• Obesity
• Excessive alcohol use
• Drug abuse Some of the non-modifiable risk factors include
• Age > 55 years
• Male gender
• Race (Asians and African-Americans have a greater risk than Caucasians)
• History of prior stroke
• Family history of stroke