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April 10, 2024
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Ischemic Stroke: Know Your Risk Factors, Symptoms, and Possible Treatments

Second leading cause of death in the world, stroke is a disease that predominantly affects adults and the elderly. Popularly known as stroke, this dysfunction still results in disabling sequelae, with 70% not returning to their normal activities and up to 50% dependent on someone else according to data from the Brazilian Society of Cerebrovascular Diseases.

According to neurologist Dr. Martin Portner, Master of Neuroscience from the University of Oxford, writer and lecturer, there are three types of strokes: hemorrhagic, where the artery wall ruptures, there is a hemorrhage in the site ceasing blood flow, and even the Transient ischemic attacks, in which there is no definite obstruction of an artery, only the momentary interruption of blood flow in the region, causing transient symptoms.

"The third type is that which occurs at the moment the cerebral artery is suddenly clogged, for example, due to a plaque of fat in the inner wall or any event that disrupts blood flow, being called ischemic stroke," he reveals.

To better understand how ischemic stroke works, the neurologist makes the following analogy: Imagine a tree full of branches and leaves. Tie a tight wire around one of the branches and within a few days the leaves of that branch will turn yellow. Is this because the sap flow from the tree to the leaves has been interrupted and they will gradually die ?.

According to the doctor, stroke is a similar phenomenon. If blood flow through a cerebral artery is interrupted, neurons in the blood flow region of that artery will be damaged and will no longer function.

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Causes and risk factors

Now that you have understood the severity of this disease, it is important to know and learn how to deal with the causes or risk factors that may increase your chances of developing such a condition.

As the neurologist explains, we can divide stroke risk factors into two groups: those in which we can intervene (these are controllable risk factors) while the other is not much that can be done (uncontrollable risk factors). Check out:

Controllable Risk Factors

Hypertension: Also known as high blood pressure, is the most important risk factor for avoiding stroke. "Blood pressure above 140 / 90mmHg on average in adults is already considered high," he warns.
Smoke: This habit remains the leading preventable cause of premature death. In most cases, those who smoke also do little exercise and have an inadequate diet. It is worth noting that the grouping of two or more risk factors greatly increases the risk of stroke ?, stresses the doctor.
Pre-existing heart disease: Especially atrial fibrillation, a type of irregular heartbeat, is a risk factor for stroke. Who has heart disease, should carefully adhere to the treatment plan? Recommends Dr. Martin.
Diabetes: This disease increases the risk of stroke, especially for those arising from damage to small blood vessels. Type 2 diabetes, which occurs in adults, can be controlled in most cases with diet and exercise.
Use of drugs: According to the professional, the use of illegal drugs such as cocaine and marijuana has been shown in studies to increase the risk of stroke. Some of these drugs directly affect blood vessels in the brain, causing stroke; others may affect the heart, which also indirectly leads to stroke.

Uncontrollable Risk Factors

Age: According to the doctor, people of all ages, including children, can have strokes. However, the risk of stroke increases as age increases.
Sex: Stroke is more common in men than in women. In most age groups, more men than women will have a stroke. However, women account for more than half of all stroke deaths. Women who are pregnant have an increased risk of stroke. "Also at greater risk are women taking birth control pills, who also smoke or have other risk factors such as high blood pressure," Dr. Martin points out.
Ethnicity: "The risk of stroke varies with race and ethnicity, and African Americans and Hispanics are more likely to have strokes than Caucasians," says the doctor.
Family history: The risk of stroke is higher if the patient's father, grandfather, sister or brother had a stroke.
Recurrence: A person who has had a stroke or heart attack has a higher risk of having a second stroke.

Once again habits such as smoking, physical inactivity, as well as chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension are aggravating a possible disease. Thus, it is correct to modify the possible patterns, thus reducing the risk of developing this disease.

Symptoms of a Possible Stroke

To find out if you or someone close to you is having a possible stroke, it is important to be aware of possible symptoms. Dr. Martin reveals that stroke symptoms depend solely on territory and that neurological cells have been affected. Check out some of the possible changes:

If this occurs in the left temporal lobe zone, there will be loss of speech. At the same time, as motor coordination is crossed, there may be possible paralysis of the right arm and leg.
If stroke occurs on the right side of the brain, the person will have paralysis of the left arm and leg, but without impairing speech, as this function is located on the other side of the brain.
"In addition, these areas of neuron loss leave internal scars, which in turn can cause seizures, as normal neurological cells react poorly to the presence of internal scars," he explains.
The neurologist also reveals that often some strokes seem to produce no symptoms, leading us to believe that the stroke occurred "in a quiet area". But the doctor warns that there are no silent areas in the brain and may have reached some region of the brain responsible for receiving cognitive and emotional information affecting personality and behavior.

Knowing the symptoms of this disease, it is easier to observe different behavior patterns or changes in movement and speech, verifying the need for hospital referral for the immediate start of treatment.

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Diagnosis and Treatment

According to the professional, to diagnose this disease requires the clinical evaluation of an experienced neurologist. However, confirmation will come by examining brain magnetic resonance imaging; In this examination, images of various planes of the brain are obtained and the zone in which the stroke has occurred will be visualized.

At the time of emergency care, tests such as the analysis of vital signs such as blood pressure, followed by obtaining the electrocardiogram, essential blood tests will also be performed, which may assist in the diagnosis.

This immediate care and evaluation of the neurologist is critical early diagnosis and for the successful attempt to save brain cells. "Studies show that if the set of interventions, including emergency room assessment, alerting and assessment by the warning neurologist, and magnetic resonance imaging occur within 4 hours, there is a definite possibility of stroke reversal," reports Dr Martin.

Stroke treatment can be both complex and with limited reversal expectations, depending on each case. "Technically, the neurologist will seek to reverse the loss zone of blood supply using decreased blood cell adhesiveness (platelet antiaggregants or even anticoagulants) and reperfusion therapies such as intravenous thrombolysis," says the doctor.

In addition, the assistance of a multidisciplinary team with physiotherapist, speech therapist and possibly a nutritionist will be required to apply a treatment to recover the patient's movements and speech.

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Possible complications

Possible complications of stroke include general events, such as the progressive drop in blood pressure or the emergence of infection due to the weakened organism, or permanent sequelae due to the complete deactivation (death) of neurological cells in the region affected by stroke.

• Speech may be permanently lost and limb paralysis will require physical therapy, but recovery may be slow. The loss of decision-making ability or other behavioral disorders can never be recovered ?, says the neurologist.

How to prevent ischemic stroke

According to the doctor, the most effective measure capable of preventing the occurrence of stroke is the combat, at any cost, of risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension, physical inactivity and stress.

"Another important aspect is to try to recognize stroke symptoms quickly, signs such as speech loss, paralysis on one side and mental confusion are the most frequent, and then refer the patient to an emergency medical unit, Dr. Martin advises."

Remember that informing yourself is the best tool to prevent and combat any disease. Also, just like any other conditions, ischemic stroke can be prevented if healthy lifestyle habits are followed. Seek medical help at any sign of change in behavior or movement, be aware!

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