What is a stroke?

Introduction

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Hello, in this HealthSketch we want to talk to you about stroke.

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It's a bit of an odd name, stroke.

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It certainly has nothing to do with tennis strokes,

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swimming strokes or brush strokes.

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The word stroke comes from the idea receiving a 'strike' or 'blow'

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as that is how quickly strokes appear - all of a sudden people are struck by this illness.

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Did you know that every year more than 15 million people worldwide have a stroke?

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Of these, five million die and another five million are left disabled.

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Whilst most strokes occur in people over the age of 65

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they can occur in much younger people too.

How strokes occur

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But what exactly is a stroke?

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The brain, like all parts of the body, needs oxygen, which it gets from the blood.

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A stroke happens when blood flow to the brain is cut off.

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When brain cells are starved of oxygen, they become damaged,

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and the symptoms that follow are called a stroke.

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As the brain controls the whole body, the symptoms of a stroke can be wide-ranging,

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depending on which parts of the brain are affected.

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If the stroke occurs here, it would cause a drooping face,

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here, weakness in the arms or legs,

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or here, difficulty speaking.

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Other symptoms can happen too, like changes to vision,

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loss of balance, confusion and memory loss.

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The effects might be barely noticeable,

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but are more often severe and disabling.

Getting help FAST

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Sometimes these changes can be reversed if treatment is started early.

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That's why it is so important to act quickly if you suspect a stroke.

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Remember, you need to get help 'FAST'.

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F is for Face: is their face drooping on one side? Can they smile?

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A is for Arms: is there weakness in the arms? Can they lift them both up?

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S is for Speech: is their speech slurred?

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T is for Time: if you spot any one of these signs then it’s time to call an ambulance.

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Once the ambulance arrives at the hospital, a doctor will assess you

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and arrange an urgent scan of the head, which shows where the brain is damaged

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and what type of stroke has happened.

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Strokes are put into two groups depending on the problem in the blood vessels supplying the brain.

Types of stroke

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There can either be a blockage (called an ischaemic stroke),

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or a bleed (called a haemorrhagic stroke).

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The majority of strokes are blockages. It's important to identify early on which sort of stroke has happened,

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as they each have very different treatments.

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Blockage strokes are commonly caused by the build-up of fatty material in blood vessels.

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This fatty build-up may lead to a clot which blocks the blood supply, just like in a heart attack.

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This is why a stroke can be thought of as a 'brain attack'.

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A clot may occur within the brain or it can travel from another part of the body,

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commonly the blood vessels in the neck.

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Clots can also travel from the heart, which may happen when you have an irregular heartbeat called ‘atrial fibrillation’, or A.F.

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If a blockage stroke is detected within the first few hours,

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a 'clot-busting' medication is sometimes given to dissolve the clot; this is called ‘thrombolysis’.

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If thrombolysis can’t be used, other medications, such as aspirin, will be given as treatment instead.

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Bleeding strokes happen when a blood vessel bursts suddenly,

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causing blood to leak in or around the brain.

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In these strokes, blood on the brain can lead to swelling;

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a serious problem which may require surgery in some cases.

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Sometimes, stroke symptoms completely disappear in less than 24 hours.

TIAs

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This is called a mini-stroke or T.I.A.

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Often, symptoms only last a few minutes,

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but just like with a full-blown stroke you must go to hospital immediately if you suspect a T.I.A.

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This is because a T.I.A is a warning sign that you are at high risk of having a full stroke.

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Whether you have a T.I.A or a full stroke,

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daily medications are started and continued lifelong to help prevent further episodes.

Stroke rehabilitation

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The effects of a stroke can be disabling,

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but given time, the brain can slowly adapt to recover some previously lost abilities.

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This is why stroke rehabilitation is so important.

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Rehab can be challenging, but many specialists are on hand to help alongside doctors and nurses

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If you stroke causes difficulty swallowing,

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dieticians can recommend special diets or feeding tubes.

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If you have problems with communication, speech and language therapists can help.

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If it has become difficult to walk or perform daily tasks,

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physiotherapists and occupational therapists can offer exercises and home adaptations.

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Also, after a stroke people often feel low or frustrated that they can’t do the things they used to,

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and don’t like being dependent on others.

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Counsellors can help talk through these feelings and many patient groups are available for further support.

Preventing strokes

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We've talked a lot about strokes, but what can we do to prevent them from happening?4:49

Even if you've already had a stroke in the past,

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there are many small steps we can all take to reduce our future risk of having a stroke, such as:

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lowering high blood pressure (the number one cause a stroke)

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stopping smoking, lowering cholesterol, being more active, eating healthily, lowering alcohol intake to within recommended limits

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if you have diabetes, keeping good control of blood sugar levels.

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In this HealthSketch we've talked about what a stroke is,

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how to spot the key symptoms and the need to act 'FAST'.

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We've also talked about treatments, rehab and the steps we can take to prevent strokes.

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We hope this HealthSketch about stroke has been helpful for you and those around you.

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HealthSketch - ‘Health for all to see’.