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What is a Stroke
A
stroke occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is
suddenly interrupted or when a blood vessel in the brain bursts,
spilling blood into the spaces surrounding brain cells. Brain
cells die when they no longer receive oxygen and nutrients from
the blood or there is sudden bleeding into or around the brain.
The symptoms of a stroke include sudden numbness or weakness,
especially on one side of the body; sudden confusion or trouble
speaking or understanding speech; sudden trouble seeing in one
or both eyes; sudden trouble with walking, dizziness, or loss
of balance or coordination; or sudden severe headache with no
known cause. There are two forms of stroke: ischemic - blockage
of a blood vessel supplying the brain, and hemorrhagic - bleeding
into or around the brain.
Is there any treatment?
Generally
there are three treatment stages for stroke: prevention, therapy
immediately after the stroke, and post-stroke rehabilitation.
Therapies to prevent a first or recurrent stroke are based
on treating an individual's underlying risk factors for stroke,
such as hypertension, atrial fibrillation, and diabetes. Acute
stroke therapies try to stop a stroke while it is happening
by quickly dissolving the blood clot causing an ischemic stroke
or by stopping the bleeding of a hemorrhagic stroke. Post-stroke
rehabilitation helps individuals overcome disabilities that
result from stroke damage. Medication or drug therapy is the
most common treatment for stroke. The most popular classes
of drugs used to prevent or treat stroke are antithrombotics
(antiplatelet agents and anticoagulants), thrombolytics, and
neuroprotective agents.
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