What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of A Stroke And How To Prevent Stroke?

What is a stroke?

At a stroke, something goes wrong with the blood vessels in the brains. Two things can go wrong there:

1. There becomes blocked a blood vessel by a blood clot. As a result, there can be no more blood to the brains. This is called an ischemic stroke.
2. There burst a blood vessel open. Even then receives a portion of the brains little or no blood. Brain cells become damaged or die. This is called a cerebral haemorrhage.

An ischemic stroke is more common than cerebral hemorrhage. Eight out of ten people with stroke have a stroke. Two of the ten people have a stroke.
A quarter of the people who have a stroke, has previously had a TIA (Transient ischaemic attack). That is a short and mild stroke.

Another name for it is stroke CVA (cerebrovascular accident).

What are the signs and symptoms of a stroke?

These are the first signs of a stroke:

1. One half of the face skew.
2. A leg or arm is paralyzed or weakened.
3. The person does not understand what others say.
4. The person talking unclear.
5. The person can not see or experience blurred vision in one eye.
6. The person has sudden severe headache.
7. The person is dizzy and falls easily.
8. The person is sick, vomit or have an epileptic fit.

In severe stroke can someone lose consciousness, coma and death.

What symptoms does someone after a stroke?

The complaints during a stroke can continue to exist after the stroke. There may also be new complaints come. Which complaints are that depends on where the brains are damaged.

Complaints that there are still three months after the stroke, usually will not go away. Examples of complaints that may remain:

1. paralysis;
2. tiredness;
3. struggling to remember things and to concentrate;
4. stiff joints and muscles;
5. epilepsy;
6. lack of initiative and interest or even depression;
7. emotional instability;
8. the wrong things at the wrong time (socially inappropriate behavior);
9. different behavior than before.
10. aphasia (problems with language) and difficulty recognizing things.

All these changes are not only difficult for the individual, but also for the partner, family and other acquaintances.

A stroke can also cause other health problems:

1. People who have difficulty swallowing and coughing may get pneumonia.
2. People who are not well able to urinate get a urine catheter in the urethra to drain urine. Through this catheter, sometimes a bladder infection.
3. Too little movement after paralysis of one leg can lead to thrombosis (a blood clot) in the leg.
4. Many people who are in the same position or lying may suffer from bedsores.

How does a doctor determine a stroke?

How does a doctor determine if you have (had) a stroke?

1. The doctor monitors your breathing, heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature.
2. You get a survey to determine what problems you have to move, feel and see.

If you have diabetes, your doctor will check your blood sugar and ensures that it is not too high.

The doctor can see with a CT scan or an MRI scan if you have had a stroke or a stroke. The scan can also see how much brain tissue is damaged. Know a doctor once or you have had a stroke or brain hemorrhage, she looks for the cause.

How a doctor investigating the cause of a stroke?

1. With an electrocardiogram (ECG) looks the doctor if you have an abnormal heart rhythm.
2. The doctor examines your blood.
3. If there is a chance that the heart attack was caused by an infection, you get a lumbar puncture.

How a doctor investigating the causes of a stroke?

1. In younger people with bleeding inside the brains, the doctor usually an x-ray of the blood vessels to see where the weak spot (aneurysm) sits.
2. People with bleeding within the membranes surrounding the brains also get an x-ray of the blood vessels. Furthermore, they may get a lumbar puncture. The doctor can then see if there is blood in the cerebrospinal fluid.

Stroke rehabilitation

After a stroke you must recover for a long time and rehabilitation. The first weeks after a stroke is on the stroke unit of the hospital. This is a special section for people with stroke.

In the first six months of rehabilitation much recovery. What do you do to recover?

1. You will receive immediately after surgery exercises. Move stimulates the brains to recover.
2. You get Physical therapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy. Even if you no longer progresses, physiotherapy remains important.

After discharge from the hospital rehabilitation most people at home. Others rehabilitation in a nursing home or a rehabilitation center. If needed, you can get home care.

How do you prevent a stroke?

You can do yourself to prevent you (again) receives a TIA or a stroke:

1. Try to do something about high cholesterol, for example by eating less fat. There are also medicines.
2. Are you overweight? Try to lose some weight. The most important advice is to eat healthy and exercise enough.
3. Let your blood pressure checked every year. High blood pressure can get medication. Use low fat and salt, because it increases blood pressure.
4. Drink in moderation. One or two units of alcohol per day, reduce the risk of stroke. More drinking increases the risk significantly.
5. Give up smoking.

What can doctors do to avoid to you (again) a TIA or stroke occurs?

1. If it turns out that you have diabetes mellitus (diabetes), it should be treated.
2. Your doctor will check your heart rate is in order. Irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias) makes the risk of stroke increases. For irregular heart beat can get blood thinners.
3. You can get medication to prevent blood platelets from clotting. This only applies if you are at risk of stroke. At a stroke, these drugs are just dangerous.
4. In an infarct, the carotid arteries are sometimes so narrow that there is one operation is needed. The greasy clots in the arteries (arteriosclerosis) are then removed. In this operation, there is a very small risk of stroke. The blood clots can namely carry so they close a vein in a different place. The doctor can also dilate blood vessels by angioplasty.

After a stroke

A stroke is a major event. Many people need help afterwards. Partner and family are often carers.
Some advice for dealing with a partner or family member after stroke:

1. Gauge your partner to use the weakened side of the body as much as possible. For example, when eating, washing and dressing. Make sure he or she distributes equal in standing weight on both legs.
2. Speak in short, clear sentences.
3. If someone can not speak or understand language not, use gestures, facial expressions and sounds. Continue to communicate in any case. A speech therapist can give you advice.
4. Assign someone to things that he can not see. For example if he neglects himself on one side of the body because he was that side of his body did not see when he looks in the mirror.
5. Does your partner or family memory? Then give simple information. Repeat important messages or write them down.
6. Take someone not anything out of your hands, albeit slowly and awkwardly. Encourage him to do step by step, complicated operations.
7. Seer interest him for his setting, for example, newspapers, television and hobbies.
8. Maintain a positive atmosphere (with compliments, encouragement, stimulation).
9. Talk openly about each other's feelings.
10. Take care of yourself. Give it a week (end) your trip and talk to friends or caregivers about your feelings.