General Information About Stroke
Disease Details and Frequently Asked Questions
It is the sudden cessation of blood and oxygen flow to a region of the brain, causing brain cells in that area to begin dying within minutes and resulting in the loss of bodily functions controlled by the brain.
Ischemic Stroke (85%): Occurs when a brain blood vessel is blocked by a blood clot (usually dislodged from the heart or carotid artery).
Hemorrhagic Stroke (15%): Occurs when a weakened blood vessel inside the brain (usually due to high blood pressure or an aneurysm) ruptures and bleeds into the brain.
The FAST rule is life-saving for instantly recognizing a stroke:
F (Face): Does one side of the face droop when smiling?
A (Arms): When both arms are raised, does one drift downward? (Loss of strength).
S (Speech): Is speech slurred, are words hard to find, or are nonsensical sounds produced?
T (Time): If EVEN ONE of these signs is present, 112 must be called immediately without wasting TIME.
It occurs when stroke symptoms (arm numbness, inability to speak) begin, but the clot dissolves on its own, and the condition returns completely to normal within 1-2 hours. It should never be ignored with the thought 'it passed anyway,' because this is the biggest harbinger of a MAJOR and PERMANENT stroke that will occur within hours or days.
In strokes, 'Time is Brain'. When a vessel is blocked, approximately 2 million brain cells die every 1 minute. If the patient reaches the hospital within the first 4.5 hours after the stroke begins, the paralysis can be completely reversed by dissolving the clot with intravenously administered Clot-Busting (Thrombolytic - tPA) drugs.
Medication is given in the first few hours for an ischemic stroke. In large vessel occlusions that cannot be opened with medication (within the first 6-8 hours), the brain is accessed through the groin, similar to cardiac angiography, and the clot is mechanically pulled out with special stents/vacuums (Mechanical Thrombectomy). In a hemorrhagic stroke, emergency brain surgery may be required to stop the bleeding or reduce intracranial pressure.
Our health library contents are prepared for informational purposes only and with scientific data available at the time of recording. For all your questions, concerns, diagnosis, or treatment regarding your health, please consult your doctor or a healthcare institution.
