Mini Stroke Essay

In many cases, strokes can be diagnosed, prevented and treatable. Symptoms of a stroke can occur quickly and may cause: sudden numbness, tingling, or weakness, or paralysis in your face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of your body. Sudden: vision changes, trouble speaking (slurred speech), confusion or trouble understanding simple statements, problems with walking or balance, severe headache. It's recommended to call a doctor or 911 even if these symptoms last for a short amount of time because a transient ischemic attack, or mini stroke may have occurred. The transient ischemic attack may be a precursor to a stroke occurring soon. Catching these symptoms can dramatically increase chances of prevention additional damage to the body (2).

It is important that the type of stroke is diagnosed quickly to reduce the damage done to the brain and also to determine the right type of treatment because one treatment for one kind of stroke can be harmful to someone who has had a different kind. A number of different medications may be given at the hospital to help break up the clot and prevent the formation of new clots. For Ischemic stroke the treatment can begin with drugs to break down clots and prevent further ones from forming. Aspirin can be given, along with an injection of a tissue plasminogen activator (TPA). TPA works by dissolving clots but it needs to be injected within 4.5 hours of stroke symptoms once they have presented themselves. Hemorrhagic stroke treatment can begin with drugs being given to reduce the pressure in the brain, overall blood pressure, prevent seizures and prevent sudden constrictions of blood vessels.(http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/stroke/diagnosis-treatment/treatment/txc-20117296) Because strokes are life-changing events that can affect a person both physically and emotionally, temporarily or permanently. After a stroke,

The risk factors for stroke can be classified into non-modifiable and modifiable. Non-modifiable risk factors include age, family history, prior stroke, gender, and race. Whereas modifiable risk factors are hypertension, diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation, dyslipidemia, cigarette smoking, obesity, valvular heart disease, alcohol abuse, and physical inactivity (Basharat et al., 2012).

Stroke is like a heart attack, but instead the problem is with the brain not the heart. Stroke happens when the blood that is suppose to go to the brain is blocked or reduced. When the blood supply to the brain is blocked or reduced, the brain doesn’t get enough oxygen or nutrients, which causes brain cells to die. It can also be because of smoking. Smoking creates blood clots in the artery. Stroke is the top 5 disease that caused death in the US, but for black people stroke is the top 3 disease that caused death. Stroke commonly occurs to people over the age of 65. Even though the risk of having a stroke is high over the age of 65, stroke can occur at any age. Approximately 15 million people suffer from stroke each year. 5 million of these

Smoking, drinking heavily, blood pressure, heart disease, cholesterol levels, obesity, type two diabetes, and drug usage (like cocaine and amphetamines). Most strokes occur in people aged 65 and up, however, it may also happen to small children and infants. Some things that cause strokes are unchangeable, such as gender (men are generally more affected), age, family history, or ethnicity (South-Asian and African-Caribbean people are more affected).

Stroke previously known as Cerebrovascular accident is well-defined as ‘an abrupt cessation of cerebral circulation in one or more of the blood vessels distributing the brain. Due to the interruption or diminish of oxygen supply causes serious damage or necrosis in the brain tissues (Jauch, Kissella & Stettler, 2005). There is a presence of one or more symptoms such as weakness or numbness or paralysis of the face, arm or leg, difficulty speaking or swallowing, dizziness, loss of balance, loss of vision, sudden blurring or decreased vision in one or both eyes and headache. Stoke is categorised into two types, Ischaemic and haemorrhagic

If there are any signs of a stroke, remember the acronym “FAST”. Face: does the face droop on one side when the person is asked to smile? Arms: Is the affected person able to lift their arms? And if so, does one or both drop downwards more than the other? Speech: When asked to repeat a phrase, is the speech able to be understood without any slurring, hesitation, or is the person unable to verbally respond at all? Time: Time is crucial to treatment of a stroke. If any or all of these signs are present, the person witnessing the event should call 911 immediately (Staff, Stroke, Symptoms and Causes, 2017).

Diagnosing a stroke usually begins with a careful medical history, especially concerning the distribution and onset of the symptoms and the presence of risk factors, so that other possible causes are excluded. Performing a brief neurological exam may be used to identify the location and degree of any deficits, such as vision loss, weakness, or lack of coordination.

The symptoms of a stroke include the following: numbness, confusion, trouble walking and seeing, and severe headaches. The most common signs to watch for are: facial weakness, arm weakness, and speech difficulties. If even just one of these signs are true, 911 must be contacted. Early action can minimize brain damage and potential complications.

A transient ischemic attack (TIA) is like a stroke, producing similar symptoms, but usually lasting only a few minutes and causing no permanent damage. Often called a ministroke, a transient ischemic attack may be a warning. About 1 in 3 people who have a transient ischemic attack will eventually have a stroke, with about half occurring within a year after the transient ischemic attack.

I will add that stroke risk also differs between the sexes. Each year, about 425,000 women have a stroke—55,000 more than men. (Harvard Health Publishing, 2014). In women there are many conditions that increase her risk for strokes including a history of a long use of birth control pills and pre-eclampsia or eclampsia related to high blood pressure during childbearing. Jennifer, do you believe that stroke is the leading cause of disability in the United States?

Haemorrhagic strokes are caused by subarachnoid haemorrhage or intracerebralhaemorrhage [4]. It is difficult to be sure clinically about the type of stroke in majority of cases as there is no specific differentiating feature[5]. The only confirmatory test is computed tomography (CT) of brain. However, some features like sudden onset of coma or changing state of consciousness with severe headache, vomiting and meningeal irritation suggest intracranial bleed. Similarly in cerebral infarction patient usually presents with sudden onset of stroke with lateralizing neurological deficit with or without clinically detectable risk factors(hypertension, atrial fibrillation, rheumatic heart disease, recent myocardial

According to strokecenter.org, in the United States, strokes are the third leading cause of death, it is the leading cause of long-term disability, 795,000 people suffer from a stroke each year, ¾ of the people experiencing strokes are over the age of 65 and your chance nearly doubles over the age of 55. Worldwide, 15 million people suffer a stroke each year, high blood pressure is the cause of more than 12.7 million strokes, and “…in developed countries, the incidence of stroke is declining, largely due to efforts to lower blood pressure and reduce smoking. However, the overall rate of stroke remains high due to the aging of the population.” (“Stroke Statistics,” 2006). As one can see, stroke does depend greatly on age, but there are ways to prevent strokes like lowering blood pressure and reducing smoking. These statistics help prove the severity of strokes and how common they are in the United States and worldwide. It is important to understand the signs and symptoms of strokes and risk factors in order to be aware for yourself and those around you. If you suspect you or anyone you know may be at risk for a stroke, it is important to contact a physician immediately to discuss preventative measures to

minor stroke,  small stroke and transient ischemic Attack (TIAs) are all the same.  Small strokes are those stroke-like symptoms such as weakness of an arm or leg that completely resolves within a few hours or a day. They were previously thought to be benevolent,  nice and not a problem,  but research has revealead the high risk of further strokes and a major stroke.

A stroke caused by a blocked artery by a blood clot or bursting of a blood vessel because of uncontrolled high blood pressure. There are main three types of the stroke. An ischemic stroke occurs when a blood clot blocks one of the arteries which supply blood to brain. A clot may be caused by fatty deposits (plaque) that build up in arteries and cause reduced blood flow (atherosclerosis) or other artery conditions. (mayo clinic). About 89%, strokes are ischemic strokes. Ischemic stroke includes thrombotic stroke. A thrombotic stroke occurs when a thrombus stuck in one of the arteries that supply blood to the brain. A clot build-up of fatty deposits in arteries. Another type of stroke is called the hemorrhagic stroke. This stroke occurs when a blood vessel leaks or ruptures in the brain. A bold vessel leaks or ruptures from many conditions like uncontrolled high blood pressure or overtreatment with anticoagulants and the weak spot in blood vessel walls. (mayo). Some people experience a mini-stroke it is known as a transient ischemic attack (TIA). A temporary decrease or clot stuck in a vessel in our brain causes TIA. It happens less than five minutes. This stroke does not have any symptom, because the blockage is