Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in the World and a leading cause of adult disability. Up to 80% of strokes are preventable; you can prevent a stroke! A stroke or “brain attack” occurs when a blood clot blocks an artery (a blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the body) or a blood vessel (a tube through which the blood moves through the body) breaks, interrupting blood flow to an area of the brain. When either of these things happens, brain cells begin to die and brain damage occurs.

When Brain Cells Die,

during a stroke, abilities controlled by that area of the brain are lost. These abilities include speech, movement, and memory. How a stroke patient is affected depends on where the stroke occurs in the brain and how much the brain is damaged.

For example, someone who has a small stroke may experience only minor problems such as weakness of an arm or leg. People who have larger strokes may be paralyzed on one side or lose their ability to speak. Some people recover completely from strokes, but more than 2/3 of survivors will have some type of disability

Stroke is a “brain attack” that occurs when the blood, which brings oxygen to your brain, stops owing and brain cells die. 

2. What is a TIA?

A transient ischemic attack (TIA) is an event, sometimes called a mini-stroke, with stroke symptoms that last less than 24 hours before disappearing. While TIAs generally do not cause permanent brain damage, they are a serious warning sign of stroke and should not be ignored! Check. Once you calculate your risk, scroll down to see your results. Up to 40 percent of all people who have experienced a TIA will go on to have an actual stroke.

Most studies show that nearly half of all strokes occur:

Within: 

• Two days after a TIA, five percent of people will have a stroke.
• Three months after a TIA, 10 to 15 percent of people will have a stroke.

3. Signs and Symptoms:

The symptoms of a TIA and stroke are basically the same. You cannot tell whether you are having a stroke or a TIA. Only a healthcare professional can tell the difference. If you are having a TIA, your health care professional can identify and treat the cause(s). This may reduce your risk for future stroke. If you are having a stroke, emergency treatment could save your life and improve your chances of a good recovery.

Experience one or more of the following symptoms:

Sudden,

• Numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body.
• Confusion, trouble speaking, or understanding.
• Trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
• Trouble walking, dizziness loss of balance or coordination.

4. Causes Of TIA:

When a blood vessel in the brain becomes blocked for a short period of time, the blood ow to that area of the brain slows or stops. This lack of blood (and oxygen) often leads to temporary symptoms such as slurred speech or blurry vision.

TIAs are usually caused by one of three things:

• Low blood flow in a major artery carrying blood to the brain.
• A blood clot in another part of the body (like the heart) that breaks off, travels to the brain and blocks a blood vessel.
• The narrowing of a smaller blood vessel in the brain; usually caused by plaque (a fatty substance) build-up.

5. Stroke Risk Factors and Symptoms:

Risk Factors for a Stroke:

Stroke prevention is still the best medicine. The most important treatable conditions linked to stroke are:

• High blood pressure. Treat it. Eat a balanced diet, maintain a healthy weight, and exercise to reduce blood pressure. Drugs are also available.
• Cigarette smoking. Quit. Medical help is available to help quit.
• Heart disease. Manage it. Your doctor can treat your heart disease and may prescribe medication to help prevent the formation of clots. If you are over 50, NINDS scientists believe you and your doctor should make a decision about aspirin therapy.
• Diabetes. Control it. Treatment can delay complications that increase the risk of stroke.
• Transient ischemic attacks (TIAs). Seek help. TIAs are small strokes that last only for a few minutes or hours. They should never be ignored and can be treated with drugs or surgery.

6. Diagnosis of TIA:

7. TIA Management, Treatment And Prevention:

Healthy Living Lifestyle to Prevent TIA:

The American Heart Association is updating its guidelines on reducing the risk of stroke and now suggests that by living a healthy lifestyle (no smoking, eating a low-fat diet, exercising regularly and staying a healthy weight) you can reduce the risk of that first, devastating stroke by as much as 80%. Hard to argue with those numbers.

Once considered a problem of the elderly, experts are seeing a rise in the number of pediatric stroke cases in recent years. And while there are an estimated 6.4 million stroke survivors, 20% are so functionally impaired that they need constant care.

1. Medicines:

Most people who have had a TIA will need to take 1 or more medicines every day, long term, to help reduce their chances of having a stroke or another TIA.

A. Aspirin and other anti platelet medicines:

• You’ll probably be given aspirin straight after a suspected TIA.
• Aspirin works as an anti platelet medicine.
• Platelets are blood cells that help blood to clot.
• Anti platelet medicines work by reducing the ability of platelets to stick together and form blood clots.
• You may also be given other anti platelets, such as clopidogrel or dipyridamole.

The main side effects of anti platelet medicines include indigestion and an increased risk of bleeding. For example, you may bleed for longer if you cut yourself and you may bruise easily.

B. Anticoagulants:

Anticoagulant medicines can help to prevent blood clots by changing the chemical composition of your blood in a way that stops clots from forming. They’re usually offered to people who had a TIA that was caused by a blood clot in their heart. This is often due to a condition called atrial fibrillation, which causes your heart to beat irregularly.

Warfarin, apixaban, dabigatran, edoxaban and rivaroxaban are examples of anticoagulants that may be offered to some people who have had a TIA. A side effect of all anticoagulants is the risk of bleeding, because these medicines reduce the blood’s ability to clot. You may need regular blood tests while taking warfarin, so doctors can check your dose is not too high or too low.

C. Blood pressure medicines:

There are lots of different types of medicine that can help control blood pressure, including:

• thiazide diuretics.
• angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors.
• calcium channel blockers.
• beta-blockers.

Prevention is,

A big part of the revised guidelines, and for the first time, they talk about stroke as a continuum of related events instead of a single, isolated episode. Those related events include ischemic stroke, non-ischemic stroke, and transient ischemic attack (TIA), often considered a warning that a bigger stroke is on the way.

Adopting a healthy lifestyle is your best bet, but there are other recommendations that you’ll want to know about. You need to see your doctor or visit the emergency room if you’re in trouble so that you have the chance to be identified and treated as necessary.

If You’re,

diabetic and don’t know it, if you have high blood pressure without symptoms or even atrial fibrillation, your doctor (or the one at the emergency room) gets a chance to see the problem and recommend screenings, referrals or preventative things you can do to help avoid that first stroke.

A stroke happens when a blood clot blocks an artery or a blood vessel breaks, causing an interruption of blood flow to part of the brain. Brain cells die as a result, and abilities controlled by that area of the brain are lost. This can function like speech, movement, and even memory.

It’s Important that,

• You tell your doctor as much as you can about your own family medical history.
• Sometimes genetic screenings for patients with conditions like Fabry’s disease can be beneficial, though this type of screening is not recommended for the general public.
• Surgery on the carotid artery might benefit a few specific patients, but this too isn’t right for everyone.
• Taking aspirin, a long-held stroke prevention tip may benefit some people at high risk but probably isn’t worth it for the rest of us.

Steps That May Reduce Your Stroke Risk:

1. Contact A Qualified Physician:

If you do not know what your blood pressure reading is, what your cholesterol level is, or where your blood sugar level is, then you must get these benchmarks measured as soon as possible. These are the big three. And while you are there have your physician check your heart and circulatory system especially the carotid arteries.

2. Blood Pressure:

Make Sure Your Blood Pressure is under 120/80.

• Anything over 120/80 is of concern and anything over 140/90 is a red flag to take action.
• High blood pressure increases stroke risk 4-6 times and is the number one risk factor for a stroke.

3. Lower Cholesterol Level:

Make Sure Your Cholesterol Level is under 200. Anything over 200 is of concern and anything over 240 is a red flag to take action.

 4. Diabetes:

• Make Sure You Are Not Diabetic. Diabetes is not something to play around with.
• Not only does it increase your risk for stroke but it also affects so many other organ systems in your body.
• There are many positive steps you can take to manage your blood sugar.

5. Control Your Weight:

If you are overweight by 30 pounds or more, then you need to make some positive changes in your eating patterns. We are not talking about going on a diet. Diets don’t work. Most people have dieted their way to their current overweight condition.

6. Diet, Increase Your Fiber Intake:

At best the typical American is only getting 50% of the needed fiber in their diet. This step is so important, Proper fiber intake may reduce three of the risks for stroke:

• Cholesterol.
• Diabetes.
• And overweight-obesity.

Soluble fiber reduces both bad (LDL) and overall cholesterol by binding with cholesterol particles in the digestive system and by driving them out of the body before they are absorbed.

Stroke and diabetes lead to an increased risk of heart diseases. Fibre-rich whole grains lower the risk of a stroke by up to 36% and the risk of type 2 diabetes by up to 30%, as per research.

In another study, researchers put some people on a high-fiber diet that included lots of whole wheat and whole oats. After 12 weeks they found that the participants had a drop in blood and pulse pressure.

Briefly,

An unhealthy diet can increase your chance of having a TIA or stroke because it may raise your blood pressure and cholesterol level.

• A low-fat, high-fibre diet is usually recommended, including at least 5 portions of fresh fruit and vegetables each day, plus wholegrain.
• Making sure you eat a balanced diet is important. Do not eat too much of any single food, particularly processed foods and foods high in salt.
• You should limit the amount of salt you eat to no more than 6g a day because too much salt will increase your blood pressure. 6g of salt is about 1 teaspoon.

7. Increase Your Water Intake:

Proper water intake is fundamental to good health. Bottom line you need an 8-ounce glass of water for every 15 pounds of body weight. Coke, coffee, and other doctored beverages don’t count. Only pure water.

8. Quit Smoking!

You know smoking is not a good habit. Not only does smoking affect your lungs but it affects your heart, pulmonary arteries, liver, and several other systems. Once you stop smoking, your stroke risk from this activity will drop significantly within two years. If you’re a woman over 30 who smokes and takes high-estrogen birth-control pills your risk for a stroke is 22 times more likely than the average non-smoker! Take the steps today to stop this nasty habit.

9. Selenium:

Selenium is a powerful agent that helps to keep tissues and arteries elastic. It also helps to reduce the stickiness of the blood and decreases the risk of clotting, in turn lowering the risk of heart attack and stroke. Selenium increases the ratio of HDL (good) cholesterol to LDL (bad) cholesterol.

10. Alcohol Consumption:

Control your alcohol consumption, or most, moderate drinking doesn’t greatly affect their risk of stroke. “Moderate” drinking means limiting your alcohol intake to no more than one drink per day. By definition, a “moderate” drink is 1.5 oz. of hard liquor, 4 oz. of wine or 12 oz. of beer. Drinking more than 2 drinks per day may increase your stroke risk by 50%.

Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to weight gain, high blood pressure, and an irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation), all of which can increase your risk of having a TIA or stroke.

To keep health risks from alcohol to a low level if you drink most weeks:

• Men and women are advised to not drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis.
• Spread your drinking over 3 or more days if you regularly drink as much as 14 units a week.
• If you want to cut down, have several drink-free days each week.

11. Exercise:

Combining a healthy diet with regular exercise is the best way to maintain a healthy weight. Regular exercise can also help to lower your cholesterol level and keep your blood pressure in a safe range.

For most people, at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) of moderate-intensity activity, such as cycling or fast walking, or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity such as running, swimming, or riding a bike up a hill, every week is recommended. Doing strength exercises on 2 days every week is also recommended.

If you find this article useful, don’t forget to share it with your friends and family, as you might help someone in need. Thanks.

Disclaimer: “Nothing in this article makes any claim to offer cures or treatment for any disease or illness. If you are sick please consult with your doctor.”

Sources

Blood Clots, Risks, Symptoms And Prevention!

What is Collagen? How to increase Collagen Levels?

Social Anxiety Disorder, More Than Just Shyness!

Eat Healthy. Live Healthy!

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