A common cause of permanent disability, or, in more severe cases, death, in the Western world is a stroke. Strokes, which are also known as cerebrovascular accidents, are very sudden and disastrous medical problems that can be easily stopped if one is familiar with the key signs of onset.
A cerebrovascular accident happens when blood in the arteries suddenly stops on route to the brain. The cessation of blood flow may be due to a number of complications, mainly arterial blockages caused by blot clots and plaques formed on the arteries.
Unfortunately many patients affected by stroke have totally lost movement and sensation in the arms and face, a situation that could have otherwise been prevented had of the stroke symptoms been recognised and dealt with in time.
Signs of Stroke
The symptoms of stroke can be easily identified. In 2006 the National Stroke Foundation in Australia conjured up a simple, memorable acronym called FAST. FAST stands for "Facial Weakness - Arm Weakness - Speech Difficulty - Time to act Fast." The first three of these are the typical stroke signs, and the following is an elaboration on what those mean.
If the suspected stroke victim cannot smile or raise his eyes, that is a definite sign of facial weakness. If the patient cannot raise one or both arms, that is a sure sign of arm weakness. If the person is unable to speak articulately and clearly and cannot comprehend what someone else says to him, that is an unequivocal symptom of speech difficulty. Once these stroke symptoms are recognised, time is of the essence. Seek medical treatment immediately.
Other stroke signs include numbness on the sides of the body and in the face, arms or legs; dizziness and general loss of coordination; blurred vision and difficulty or inability to swallow.
Stroke Treatment
Managing a cerebrovascular accident depends wholly on its source. Once a person is rushed to hospital after performing the FAST test, a stroke specialist will conduct a physical assessment to determine where the blood clot is located. For example, if the clot is found in the upper chest region, emergency surgery will be performed to break down the blockage. The degree to which stroke treatment is successful depends on how early the cerebrovascular accident is discovered and how quickly the blockage is removed.
The sooner a stroke is recognised and the quicker the blockage is destroyed, less brain cells will die.
Stroke Recovery
In most cases the stroke patient will suffer at least some very minor damage as a result of cerebrovascular accident. This may be in the form of loss of sensation in a small area on the face, arms or legs. Rarely is there ever a patient who has suffered stroke without any sort of physical repercussions, but long-term recovery is a realistic prospect.
High blood pressure is a significant risk factor for cerebrovascular accident and heart attack, which is not to be confused with a stroke.
Sources:
National Stroke Foundation Australia
Matthew Steel - Matthew is the owner of a small business called Matscopy. He specialises in writing media releases for small to medium enterprises. He is ...
