A person getting a stroke may face several complications and so it’s necessary to know the stroke symptoms and treatment options. And this is where we try to help. Here we give you a few signs and symptoms of stroke, so that you can recognize it at an early stage.
A stroke is a condition wherein the brain partially or completely stops functioning due to the lack of blood supply to the brain. As the blood supply to a particular area of the brain is reduced, that area is not able to function, thereby leading to inability to speak or understand things, weakening of eyesight and difficulty in moving hands and legs. The condition may be life-threatening, if it’s a strong one, which is rarely the case. Usually mild strokes are common, but if medical attention is not provided quick enough, it may be dangerous.
Causes
If a blood vessel to a particular part of the brain bursts or they are blocked, it may result in a stroke. In case this happens for more than a few seconds, the lack of oxygen can kill the brain cells thereby permanently damaging the cells of the brain. Strokes can be divided into two types – Ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. If there is a clot in the blood vessels which supply blood to the brain cells, it’s called Ischemic stroke. On the other hand hemorrhagic stroke is caused when the blood vessels in a particular part of the brain bursts open. The blood that leaks out damages the brain cells thereby causing a stroke.
Symptoms
Depending on the damage which has been caused to the brain and the part which has been effected, the stroke symptoms and treatment vary. There may be times when a person may not be aware that he or she has suffered a stroke. Most of the time, the symptoms appear suddenly without any warning. Initially, the symptoms are not that severe, but gradually they get worse. If bleeding is the cause of the stroke, a severe headache can suddenly occur. Moreover, it will continue to pain even when you lie down and whenever you change your position it would get worse. Some of the other symptoms include:
- Weakness of the muscles, especially in the legs and arms
- Tingling sensation or numbness
- Not able to control the movement of bowel
- Have trouble in walking
- Dizziness or clumsiness
- Balance and coordination loss
- Finding it difficult to read, write and swallow
- Loss of memory
- Find it difficult to make out who is speaking
- Difficulty in remembering things
- Eyesight problem, which includes loss of vision, double vision and decreased vision
- Unable to feel change of sensation
Treatment Options
Being a medical emergency, a stroke needs immediate medical care or else it may be fatal, in case you see the first signs of stroke, call for help immediately. Depending on how severe the stroke is, treatment options are available and usually a stay in the hospital may be required. In case the clot is a blood clot, clot-busting drugs may be given. These medicines help in breaking down the clot thereby restoring normal blood flow. For the proper functioning of the drug, treatment should start within 3 hours of the symptoms first appearing; and for that a CT scan is done.
Other treatment options include blood thinners like warfarin, aspirin and heparin, and these are used for treating strokes caused due to clotting of blood. Other medications may also be required such as, those related to controlling high blood pressure. In case it’s a hemorrhagic stroke, surgery may be needed so as to remove the blood from the brain and repairing the blood vessels which were damaged. In the long run, different types of therapies and stroke recovery exercises such as occupational, physical and speech therapy are recommended which focuses on complete recovery and preventing strokes in the future.
There are several treatment options, but then with all diseases and medical conditions, it’s always better to look for stroke preventive measures than the cure options. So you need to live a healthy lifestyle and cut the consumption of unhealthy food.
