Did you know that stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in Canada?
Stroke occurs when cells do not receive enough oxygen and nutrients, thus blood supply to the brain is interrupted or reduced. It most likely affects a person if they have a personal or family history of stroke, overweight, aged 55 or more, does not exercise much, drink heavily, or use illicit drugs. There are three main kinds of stroke: ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke and Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA).
Illustration of ischemic stroke: Wikimedia commons by National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NIH)
Ischemic stroke is the most common kind of stroke – at least 88% of strokes occurred are this type. As you can see from the image to the left, ischemic stroke happens due to the blockage or narrowing down of arteries that connect to the brain, resulting in low blood flow to the brain. The blockage is caused by blood clots, which can form in the arteries or even further away before the blood enters the narrower part of arteries within the brain.
Illustration of hemorrhagic stroke: Wikimedia commons by National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NIH)
On the other hand, hemorrhagic stroke is less common than Ischemic stroke. Although, only 15% consists of hemorrhagic stroke, 40% of the death occurs due to this type of stroke. As you can see from the image to the right, it takes place when a blood vessel ruptures causing blood to accumulate in the tissue surrounding the rupture. Pressure on the brain is produced as a result, as well as loss of blood to certain areas.
Transient Ischemic Attack is very different from the other two types of stroke. The flow of blood to the brain is only disrupted for a short period of time. However, it is similar to Ischemic stroke due to the fact that it is often caused by blood clots. This type of stroke serves as a warning signs for future strokes, indicating that there is a partially blocked artery or clot source in heart. Over one third of the people who experience this have a major stroke within a year, and between 10-15% will have a major stroke within three months.
Some symptoms of stroke include confusion, trouble with speaking and understanding, headache, possibly with altered consciousness or vomiting, numbness of the face, arm or leg at one side of the body, trouble with seeing in one or both eyes, trouble with walking, dizziness and lack of coordination.
When should you see the doctor? An easy way to tell if a person has any of the signs or symptoms of a stroke is by remembering the acronym FAST:
F – face drooping
A – arm weakness
S -speech difficulty
T- time to call 911
Call 911 or your local emergency number immediately as soon as you feel the symptoms. Every minute counts, as the potential for brain damage increases, the longer you wait.
Stroke must be treated within 4.5 hours after the events start. There are different types of treatment for each type of stroke. If you are having an ischemic stroke, a drug called tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) is given to break up the blood clot. Aspirin or other blood thinners are also given to the patient before surgery.
-Shayini Kanageswaran
