Stroke: causes, symptoms, first aid, prevention

Stroke is a very common ailment. According to statistics, about 6 million people around the world suffer from this scourge every year. In the Russian Federation, this figure is 450,000 people per year. This figure is 4 times more than the same figure in the USA and Canada. How and why a stroke occurs, how you can help a person before an ambulance arrives and how to treat him - this article will tell.

Causes of Stroke

A stroke is nothing more than a violation of blood flow in the brain. During a stroke in a specific lobe of the brain, blood circulation is hampered or completely stopped.

Elderly people are the leaders in the risk category. Directly, they have a heart attack more often than others. People of both sexes after 65 most often have a history of such a diagnosis as "post-stroke dementia." Gender also plays a role: in the stronger sex, hemorrhage occurs much more often than in the weaker sex. Stroke victims are most often people who lead a sedentary lifestyle or have diabetes mellitus. Despite the fact that men have more frequent strokes, a higher mortality rate is observed among women.

A list of ailments that a person is at risk of having a stroke:

1. Bad habits.
2. Passive lifestyle.
3. Age over 50.
4. Previous hemorrhage.
5. Taking hormonal contraceptives over a long period.
6. Poisoning.
7. Heredity.
8. Hypertension.
9. Heart diseases.
10. Overweight.
11. Migraine.
12. Increased blood density.
13. Tall cholesterol level in blood.
14. Depression and severe stress.
15. Pregnancy.
16. Violation of the rhythm of the heartbeat.
17. Anemia.

Stroke types

Stroke is considered one of the key factors in the downward bias of brain activity in the elderly. There are 3 types of strokes.

• Ischemic stroke - blockage of blood circulation according to ischemic mind, it happens if thrombus blocks an artery or vein in the brain. 80% of strokes are considered ischemic. Air bubbles in the blood and blood parasites can also cause this type. With a primary disease, mortality from it is 10-15% of all cases. But if the attack occurs again, the mortality rate rises to 60%.
• Another type of stroke is hemorrhagic. This happens when a blood reservoir in the brain bursts and a hemorrhage occurs. In any case, the cells of the affected part of the brain stop absorbing air and the nutrients they require in sufficient quantity, and die off. This species is quite rare, only 10% of cases. But at the same time, a lethal outcome is much more likely - more than half of patients with these diagnoses die.
• Subarachnoid hemorrhage. It occurs between the membranes of the brain. It occurs in only 5% of cases, but the risk of mortality is very high, up to 50%. It is extremely difficult for the body to tolerate and it is very difficult not to remain disabled after such an attack.

The reason for the overlap or rupture of a vessel in the brain can be:

1. The thrombus breaks off and the blood stream carries it into the cerebral arteries, most often into the carotid arteries.
2. In the presence of atherosclerosis, a blood clot forms directly in the brain.
3. The structural features of the body are weak vascular walls by nature.
4. Injury - blow to the head, car accident, fall.
5. High blood pressure.

Stroke symptoms

Unmistakably recognizing a stroke is simple - ask the person to smile. He will not be able to do this, one of the sides of the lips will not move. Call an ambulance immediately.

You can also ask to raise both hands up, repeat simple phrases after you, or show your tongue. Failure to perform these exercises, or curvature of the tongue in one direction or another, indicates a stroke.

Do not hesitate to approach a person who suddenly fell in the street. You can save his life.

Signs by which a stroke is recognized:

• sudden weakness;
• numbness or even paralysis of the limbs on one side of the body;
• difficulty or impairment of speech;
• impaired coordination of movements, falling;
• racing or complete failure of vision;
• nausea, vomiting;
• loss of consciousness;
• breathing disorder;
• red circles and dots in front of the eyes;
• convulsions;
• foam at the mouth;
• squint, the gaze is directed to the side of the body where the injury occurred;
• acute sharp headache, for no apparent reason.

If you find at least one sign of a stroke, call a doctor. Remember that a stroke develops quickly enough. If during the first 2 hours the patient is provided with qualified assistance, there is a rather big chance of avoiding dire consequences.

First aid for stroke

If you find any of the signs of a stroke, immediately call an ambulance. While the doctors are traveling, you can independently provide first aid to the victim.

1. Position the patient so that cerebral edema does not occur. For this, the body from the back of the head to the tailbone should be 30 cm higher than the legs.
2. Provide the sick person with an influx of fresh air - unbutton the collar, remove necklaces, neckties and other items that interfere with free breathing.
3. Open the window if there is an air conditioner well to turn it on.
4. Empty the victim's mouth of mucus and other things. Put the patient's head on its side and wipe the mouth with a clean napkin. If you have a denture, remove it.
5. To avoid sinking or biting the tongue during seizures, place an object in the patient's mouth to prevent teeth clenching. Plastic pen sandwiched between the jaws, clean handkerchief.
6. You need to apply ice to your head.
7. Provide the victim with complete rest.
8. In rare cases, but still it happens that the victim's heart stops. In this case, it is necessary to start chest compressions and artificial respiration.
9. How to do an indirect heart massage. Place your palms on the patient's chest, slightly shifting them to the left. The fingers should be raised, hands are placed one on top of the other. Press on the victim's sternum with straight arms, bent arms will quickly deprive you of strength. Use your weight. You need to make 30-50 presses per minute. Every time you let go of your hands. Every 15 presses, it is necessary to make 2 exhalations into the victim's mouth.
10. Artificial respiration scheme. The patient is placed on his back. Open his mouth with your hands and pinch his nose. Draw air into the mouth and make 2 intense breaths into the victim's mouth. Check for breathing. Repeat as necessary.
11. If the patient has lost consciousness, it is forbidden to revive him with the help of ammonia or other strong-smelling means. This will only make the situation worse.
12. If possible, measure the victim's pulse and blood pressure. It is better to write data.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with first aid technicians by watching an information video.

Alternative medicine offers its own methods of first aid for stroke. If the patient is conscious, ask him to cough often and hard. You need to take a deep breath and cough without stopping until you run out of air.

Chinese medicine suggests phlebotomy as a way to escape the effects of a stroke.

1. With an attack, the pressure rises and by lowering it, damage can be minimized. Of course, no medication can be used at the moment. Chinese doctors suggest placing the victim so that the head and torso are higher than the legs.
2. Then you need to make punctures. Take a needle - from a syringe or regular sewing machine. If the needle is not sterile, hold it over a fire for a few minutes. Then start piercing the skin a few millimeters from the nail. You need to pierce all 10 fingers, so that a drop of blood comes out.
3. If this does not work out from the first puncture, you do not need to poke a needle into a person until blood flows. Simply squeeze the victim's finger with your hands and squeeze out a drop.
4. As soon as blood comes out on all 10 fingers, the patient will come to his senses and his health will become much better.

Whichever method you decide to use, in any case, this does not give a reason not to contact the doctors. Stroke is not an illness that can be carried on the legs.

Stroke treatment

Refusing hospitalization in the event of a stroke is simply inappropriate. It might be worth your life. If your relative stubbornly refuses hospitalization after receiving first aid, persuade with all your might.

Having accepted the patient, the first thing doctors should do is to stabilize his blood pressure. This will relieve further rupture of blood vessels and alleviate the patient's condition.

Treatment takes place in several stages:

1. Intensive therapy, where the main symptoms are relieved.
2. Inpatient treatment.
3. Home treatment regimen.

In the hospital, the victim must necessarily carry out:

• a course of vascular therapy;
• oxygen therapy;
• physiotherapy;
• massage;
• psychological support;
• follow-up prophylaxis to prevent recurrence of the attack;
• the appointment of drugs that improve brain activity.

The best treatment is prevention. It is possible to stop a stroke in the "embryo" only by bringing your lifestyle back to normal. Give up addictions, fatty or spicy foods. Make friends with sports and stop being nervous about trifles. And the risk of getting a stroke will be minimized.

The consequences of a stroke

During a hemorrhage, nerve cells die off or are significantly damaged. In case the pause in oxygen supply was not so long, and oxygen saturation resumed with the previous saturation. Then doctors diagnose a transistor ischemic attack, which is accompanied by a transient disorder of brain functions, which is a signal of the further formation of circulatory pathology. Disease treatment statistics states:

1. During the acute period of stroke, a third of patients need emotional help.
2. Half of the patients have a need for complete and reliable data on the disease.
3. 70% need urgent technical support.
4. 8% do not expect practically any support, being in a dejected mood.

A huge role is played by timely therapy and stable recovery, which is focused on the restoration of the ability to work of mental work and the whole organism. Competently carried out treatment with a further rehabilitation course reduces the threat of unpleasant side effects of a stroke.

Any part of the brain can be affected by a stroke. That is, violations can affect any of the human skills. As a rule, the first time after a stroke, a person has impaired memory, coordination of movements, and speech. There is no getting away from this. But with proper observance of all medical prescriptions, adherence to a diet and self-exercise after discharge, it is quite possible to completely eradicate all the consequences. In this case, everything depends on the patient's desire to fully recover. Not just lying and wanting, but wanting and doing. And, of course, age plays a big role. The younger the patient, the higher the likelihood of a speedy and completely complete recovery.

In any situation, only the attending physician can give a more specific prognosis.

Recovering from a stroke

A stroke disturbs the mind and for this reason there is a danger of an absolute loss of the ability to work and live independently, which for many people is worse than death.

Therefore, acquiring the conclusion of a stroke, many fall into depression, believing that the body cannot be restored. In this matter, much depends on the doctors and relatives of the patient, who are obliged to do everything that is permissible and impracticable in order for the victim to begin to believe in himself and his strength. The patient should not think about anything other than recovery and recovery.

Stroke survivors often complain of severe dizziness. If this unpleasant sensation persists even after discharge from the hospital, there is no need to be silent about it. Be sure to get a qualified doctor's advice on this matter. Remember that you will not be able to do only with medication in this situation. Refer to traditional medicine, first agree with your doctor.

It should be noted that the stroke is getting younger. Now not only the elderly, but also young people suffer with this diagnosis. It's good that a stroke in a child is an extremely rare and rather out of the ordinary case.

Stroke prevention

• First of all, you need to strictly monitor your pressure, not to allow it to increase higher than 140 to 90.
• Give up from harmful habits... Life is dearer than fleeting joys. And you can relieve stress in other ways.
• Normalize blood cholesterol levels.
• Go for healthy foods and proper nutrition.
• Eliminate stress from your life. Move to a more relaxed position, make peace with your relatives. Stress is a faithful ally of all serious illnesses.
• When diabetes it is necessary to monitor the glucose level daily. The strength of the vessel walls depends on it.
• Periodically drink drugs that help thin the blood.
• Use traditional medicine to prevent the development of the disease.
• Go in for sports. It is permissible to engage in any sport that your physical fitness and doctor's prescriptions allow.

Products that are listed in traditional medicine as the best stroke guards:

1. Ginger root. Can be simply added to tea instead of lemon.
2. Any citrus fruit contains vitamin C, which is a good blood thinner.
3. Infusion of fir cones.
4. Tea mushroom.
5. Any nuts.
6. Food rich in fatty acids - red fish, linseed oil.
7. Mix of mint and lemon balm, brewed with boiling water.
8. Strawberry leaf.
9. Rosehip.
10. Turmeric.
11. Honey and cinnamon.

Life after a stroke

Remember that positive morale and support from loved ones is a 50% guarantee of a successful outcome of the case.

The problem of life expectancy in people who have suffered a stroke worries everyone - both patients and their relatives. Undoubtedly, no, even the most expensive doctor can give an accurate forecast, but there are approximate statistics.

The most unsafe period is immediately after a stroke. During this period, there is a high threat of secondary hemorrhage and the formation of consequences that can cause death. The mind at this time is adapting to the changes that have occurred and seeks to use the surviving zones. A stroke is capable of engaging in desired functions, like breathing control.

Whether the body will be able to overcome the disease and whether complications begin to develop, they show the initial 2-3 months. Having survived this dangerous time, then the patients live happily ever after.

The next significant period is 12 months. It would seem that a complete recovery has come, when suddenly a secondary impulse or a sudden appearance of complications, stimulated by the initial attack, catches up.

After a year, the threat of death due to a secondary stroke or brain damage caused by the initial one quickly passes. However, you should not rest - prevention of illness, proper nutrition and complete rejection of bad habits must be the patient's companions for life.