Ischemic stroke
Ischemic stroke (IS) is a cerebral infarction that occurs as a result of blood flow cessation to the brain. IS develops when the lumen of the cerebral blood vessel closes, which leads to a cessation of blood supply to the brain. Also, supply of both oxygen and nutrients, which are necessary for the normal functioning of the brain, are ceased as well.
Causes
IS can be caused by the following conditions:
- Atherosclerosis of the arteries of the head and neck
- Arterial hypertension with damage to the small cerebral arteries
- Diabetes
- Heart rhythm abnormalities with the formation of blood clots in the heart cavities
Factors, causes, prevention and other information in Section Stroke
Consequences
The brain is an extremely complex organ that controls various functions of the body. If the blood can not reach the brain regions that are responsible for functions of certain parts of the body, these parts of the body will stop functioning properly.
After an ischemic stroke, people can experience:
- Motor disorders, weakness or paralysis - this can lead to difficulties in movements, walking and coordination. Movement disorder on only one side of the body is called hemiparesis or hemiplegia.
- Swallowing disorder. Swallowing disorder can cause food and liquid not getting into the esophagus directly, but getting into the respiratory tract and lungs. This can cause severe inflammation of the lungs. Swallowing disorder can also lead to constipation and dehydration.
- Speech disorder. Problems with reproduction and understanding of speech include difficulties in reading, writing and counting. They can occur as a result of damage to the left hemisphere of the brain.
- Perception problems Even with the normal vision, the person is not able to understand what he/she sees. Perception disorder makes it difficult for a person to use everyday objects. For example, person can`t take a glass, pour water into it and then drink it.
- Cognitive disorder In this case the ability to mentally percept and process external information is violated. Clear and logical thinking is distorted, memory of the person starts to deteriorate, the ability to learn, plan and make decisions is lost.
- Behavior disorder The person can experience aggression, slow response, fearfulness, emotional instability and disorganization.
- Bladder and bowel problems ТStroke can cause a variety of different problems, resulting in either bowel or bladder dysfunction (urinary incontinence or retention, fecal incontinence).
- Psychological disorders These include mood swings, depression, irritability, episodes of laughing or crying without an evident reason. Depression is a very common problem for people who have suffered stroke. It is often accompanied by loss of appetite, episodes of laughing or crying without a reason, insomnia, low self-esteem and an increased sense of anxiety.
- Epilepsy The number of stroke patients who eventually develop epilepsy ranges from 7% to 20%.
- Pain syndrome A small number of stroke patients can develop pain episodes manifested in burning, shooting and throbbing pain, which cannot be relieved with painkillers.
Risk of Recurrent Stroke
20% of people who have suffered ischemic stroke die within the first month and about 25% of them die within the first year.
Within the next 5 years, more than half of the surviving patients suffer the second stroke, with most cases occurring in the first year after an episode.
In Russia, about 100,000 cases of recurrent strokes are registered on average each year. Six months after the stroke, disability develops in 40% of surviving patients.
Within the first 5 years, up to 85% of patients either die or remain disabled and only the remaining 15% of patients manage to recover.
How to live after Ischemic Stroke?
In Germany and other countries of the European Union, ischemic stroke is not a diagnosis that condemns people to deep disability and death.
With a detailed and in-depth diagnosis of causes of ischemic stroke, early recovery from the effects of ischemic stroke and rehabilitation, millions of people who have suffered the condition can return to their normal life.
To receive professional consult regarding the treatment of ischemic stroke in Germany
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Due to the varying factors, cerebral circulation in the brain becomes impaired, which because of lack of adequate nutrition destroys brain tissue. As a result, cells do not receive adequate amounts of essential nutrients and eventually die. The external manifestations of stroke are different and range from sudden weakness to loss of coordination and acute headache. With timely medical care, the patient’s chances of recovery are high. However, the likelihood of complications such as coma, paralysis, memory disorder is also high. As a result, in this diagnosis specialists advise to stay on bed rest and follow all doctor’s recommendations.
The main methods of resort radon therapy for various diseases were developed and put into practical use early in the 20th. Most of these techniques have become very common and were being constantly improved. The treatment of patients suffering from stroke, at resorts with radon baths was analyzed in many scientific papers. The researches have proven high efficiency of radon water treatment.
The research has proven that fish, vegetables, fruits, nuts, olive oil can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases by one third.
A new study conducted by otolaryngologists showed that snoring is among the risk factors for developing stroke or other heart diseases. If a person suffers from snoring, it does more harm to the cardiovascular system as compared with smoking, overweight or high levels of cholesterol.
The work of the cardiovascular system can become impaired due to the varying factors, which causes disorders of cerebral circulation. In such cases, it is a stroke characterized by a decrease in blood flow or its complete interruption in certain parts of the brain. This may occur due to a blood clot that blocks an artery or a capillary in the brain, damage to the blood vessels, which causes hemorrhage. As a result, the affected areas of the brain fail to receive oxygen and nutrients, which triggers a rapid cell death. The damage to the brain can be either temporary or can cause a number of complications, such as coma, paralysis, paresis of a certain body part, intellectual disabilities, memory disorders. If you receive a timely medical care and undergo a course of treatment, you can avoid serious complications. The treatment of stroke usually involves vascular therapy that improves brain metabolism,oxygen therapy, exercise therapy and physiotherapy.
At the moment, the effectiveness of antiplatelet therapy in stroke prevention has been proven by numerous studies. Overall, antiplatelet therapy can reduce the risk of pathology by 25% (cardioembolic therapy - by 60%). At the same time, a reduction in the overall risk of developing ischemic complications (ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction and peripheral arterial lesions) can be achieved regardless of where the primary lesion was localized. The specialists justify a long-term use of antiplatelet drugs for all subtypes of ischemic stroke: cardioembolic, atherothrombotic, hemodynamic, lacunar, as well as for hemorheological micro-occlusion. The antiplatelet drugs are also of particular importance in case of cardioembolic and atherothrombotic forms of the condition.
Scientists have proven that smoking can significantly increase the risk of an early death caused by stroke. In 2009-2011, the authors who worked in a Canadian clinic observed 982 patients with stroke. 264 of them were daily smokers. The study revealed that the average life expectancy of smokers is 9 years less than in non-smoking patients (58 and 67 years is the age at which people die from stroke, respectively).
The relationship between migraine and stroke was firstly noticed by Fere in 1881.He made one of the earliest and most exhaustive descriptions of 12 patients who suffered from a classical migraine combined with sensorimotor disorders and permanent speech disorders. Based on these observations, as well as on those made by the scientists later, it was first suggested that the cause of stroke in patients with migraine is spasm of the cerebral blood vessels.
A high percentage of disability acquired by stroke survivors means that the problem of effective neurorehabilitation of patients, falling into this category, is highly topical. Stroke is an age-dependent disease, which develops due to the conditions of other systems and organs (hypertension, atherosclerosis, ischemic heart disease, chronic hepatocholecystitis, etc.). Therefore, rehabilitation of the patients who have suffered ischemic stroke applies a comprehensive approach, which involves the use of drugs with different effects (vasoactive, neuroprotective, nootropic, etc.). Particular attention is paid to the use of neuroprotective agents and nootropics.
Acute stroke is currently one of the most common causes of mortality and morbidity in the world. There are recorded over 400,000 strokes in the Russian Federation every year, whereas up to 35% of these cases are fatal. In other words, every 90 seconds someone from the Russians has a stroke.
