Although few people are aware of this, the fact is that young people often experience stroke. The common causes of stroke in young people are the same as those of older people; high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease are the most frequent causes of stroke for everyone. There are many rare causes of stroke beside these. The chances of recurring stroke can be minimized so we should all know more about it.
The Stroke Association
Every year, over 130,000 people only in the UK have a stroke %26ndash; one person every five minutes. Most people affected are over 65, but anyone can have a stroke, including young people, children, and even babies. A stroke is the third most common cause of death in the UK, and it is the single most common cause of severe disability as well. More than 250,000 people live with disabilities caused by stroke. Because this could happen to you, or someone you care for, you will want to learn as much as you can about stroke, what causes it, the effects that it can have, how it can be prevented and treated. It is also important how the Stroke Association can help you should a stroke affect your life. The Stroke Association%26rsquo;s focus is to prevent strokes and to provide support for people who have had a stroke. They also provide support to patient%26rsquo;s families through information and community services.
Important tips about stroke
%26bull; Every five minutes one person in the UK has a stroke.
%26bull; A stroke is a brain seizure that occurs due to a clot or bleeding in the brain, which causes brain cells to die.
The signs of a stroke are:
%26bull; facial weakness
%26bull; arm or leg weakness
%26bull; speech problems
%26bull; a loss of half the visual field
These signs may only last a few hours, which is called a Transient Ischemic Attack or TIA. This sign of stroke must not be ignored.
%26bull; A stroke is an emergency, so if you see the signs of a stroke act quickly and call emergency number.
%26bull; Early treatment saves lives and increases the chance of making a better recovery after stroke happens.
%26bull; Stroke is the third biggest killer and the leading cause of severe disability in the UK; the situation is similar throughout the world.
%26bull; Almost one in four men and one in five women aged 45 can expect to have a stroke if they live to 85 years.
%26bull; More than three times as many women die from stroke than breast cancer.
%26bull; Unacceptable inadequacies in stroke care and research exist, so for every %26pound;50 spent on cancer research and %26pound;20 on heart disease research, only %26pound;1 is spent on stroke research.
%26bull; Eating healthily, exercising, not smoking, and ensuring normal blood pressure can help prevent a stroke.
%26bull; The Stroke Association is the only national charity in the UK solely concerned with helping everyone affected by this problem. We all need to work to create a world where there are fewer strokes and all those touched by stroke get the help they need.
Types of stroke
%26bull; The most common type of stroke is a blockage, called an ischemic stroke. It happens when a clot blocks an artery that carries blood to the brain. That type of stroke may be caused by cerebral thrombosis. In this case a blood clot known as thrombus forms in a main artery of the brain. It could also happen if a cerebral embolism, a blockage caused by a blood clot, air bubble or fat globule or embolism, forms in a blood vessel somewhere else in the body and is then carried through the bloodstream and into the brain. Finally, the cause could also be a blockage in the tiny blood vessels deep within the brain, called lacunar stroke.
%26bull; The second type of stroke is a bleed, occurring when a blood vessel bursts, causing a hemorrhage inside the brain. This is a hemorrhagic stroke. It may be caused by intracerebral hemorrhaging, when a blood vessel bursts within the brain or a subarachnoid hemorrhage, when a blood vessel on the surface of the brain bleeds into the area between the brain and the skull in subarachnoid space.
Common symptoms of stroke
The first signs that someone has had a stroke are very sudden; typical symptoms include numbness, weakness, or paralysis in one side of the body. Signs of this may be a drooping arm, leg, or lower eyelid, or a dribbling mouth, slurred speech or difficulty finding words or understanding speech. Some patients reported suddenly blurred vision or loss of sight, confusion, or unsteadiness and severe headache.
Face%26ndash;Arm%26ndash;Speech Test
Face-Arm-Speech test or FAST is three simple checks that can help you recognize whether someone has had a stroke or mini-stroke, or transient ischemic attack known as TIA.
%26bull; F - Facial weakness test means you should check if the person can smile and has a drooped mouth or eye.
%26bull; A - Arm weakness; check if the person can raise both arms.
%26bull; S - Speech problems; check if the person can speak clearly and understand what you%26rsquo;re saying.
%26bull; T - means you should test for all three previously listed signs.
Since stroke can happen to anyone we should all be aware of these symptoms and know how to recognize if someone around us has this problem. A stroke can happen with no obvious cause, to people of any age. However, there are factors known to increase the likelihood of it happening. Some of these factors cannot be changed, but some other risks may be reduced by lifestyle changes or medication. What you cannot change is gender, since in the under 75%26rsquo;s age group, more men have strokes than women. You cannot change your age, either; strokes are more common in people over 55, and the risk continues to rise with age. Arteries commonly harden with time and become coated by a build-up of cholesterol and other debris. This causes atherosclerosis over many years. Family history is also something you cannot change. Having a close relative who has had a stroke increases the risk, possibly because conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes tend to run in families, so these people are prone to have a stroke or a similar problem as well. Ethnic background is also important, since people from Asian, African and African-Caribbean communities are at greater risk of a stroke. Medical conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure are more common in some races as well.
How to avoid a stroke?
First, the doctor could help to treat any medical conditions that could lead to or provoke a stroke. It is extremely important to prevent stroke if possible. If left untreated, over time the aforementioned conditions may damage the arteries and some other parts of the body as well. High blood pressure or hypertension is also an important problem your doctor should consider. The goal is preventing a possible stroke as a serious consequence. Heart disease and irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation, as well as diabetes, are also conditions your doctor should treat to prevent stroke.
However, the doctor is not the only one who can help; we can do a few things to help ourselves as well.
First, we must take care of the diet. A diet high in fatty foods causes cholesterol to build up in the blood and arteries to narrow, while too much salt can lead to high blood pressure. Being overweight (especially obese) puts extra strain on the heart. All these things are important when we talk about human mistakes that provoke strokes. Too much alcohol is dangerous, as many other conditions and diseases of the body relate to this substance. Regular heavy drinking raises blood pressure, while binge drinking can cause a blood vessel in the brain to burst.
We should all exercise regularly, because an inactive lifestyle can contribute to furring of the arteries. Regular exercise helps keep the heart and bloodstream healthy and prevent a possible stroke. Smoking causes higher blood pressure and makes the blood thicker because the chemicals in tobacco smoke are absorbed into the body, damaging blood vessel walls.
Therefore, try to avoid stroke by reducing your risks, treating all the possible causes of stroke. You should have your blood pressure checked regularly, avoid smoking and heavy drinking, exercise regularly, cut down on salt and fatty foods, and eat plenty of fruit and vegetables. We all know that food has an impact on all aspect of our lives, each organ in our organism and each process. Therefore, the importance of a healthy diet warrants no further explanation.
Rehabilitation and recovery
Most improvements in a person%26rsquo;s ability to function in the first 30 days after a stroke are due to spontaneous recovery. However, rehabilitation is still very important. For the most part, successful rehab depends on how early the process begins, the extent of the brain injury, the survivor%26rsquo;s attitude, the rehabilitation team%26rsquo;s skill, and the cooperation of family and friends. People with the least impairment are likely to benefit the most, but even with slight improvement, rehabilitation can mean the difference between returning home and staying in an institution.
What is the goal of the rehabilitation process?
For a stroke survivor, the rehabilitation goal is to be as independent and productive as possible, which may mean improving physical abilities. Often old skills have been lost, new ones are needed, and it is also important to maintain and improve a person%26rsquo;s physical condition when possible. Rehabilitation begins early as nurses and other hospital personnel work to prevent secondary problems. These common problems are stiff joints, falls, bedsores and pneumonia that can result from being in bed for a long time.
How can the family help?
A person%26rsquo;s family has a key role in rehab, where a caring and able spouse or partner can be one of the most important positive factors. A family members%26rsquo; knowledge also helps a lot, so family members need to understand what the stroke survivor has been through and how disabilities can affect the person. It will be easier for them to handle the situation if they know what to expect and how to handle problems that arise once the person leaves the hospital after stroke rehabilitation.
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