Anyone can have a stroke

Anyone can have a stroke.

What is a stroke?

A stroke occurs when there is an interruption in the blood supply to the brain. A bleed or a blockage may be the cause of this disruption, which kills brain cells.

Blockages account for 85% of all strokes, and while anyone can have one, over 55-year-olds are more likely to have one.

Stroke victims can sustain permanent brain damage; some fully recover and return to their normal lives, while others remain permanently disabled.

There are two main types.

Ischaemic: This is the most common type of stroke, in which a blood clot blocks the flow of blood to the brain. This accounts for 85% of cases.

Transient-ischemic attacks (mini-strokes) are the same as a stroke, but the symptoms last for a shorter period of time.

Hemorrhagic: This happens when a weak blood vessel that supplies blood to the brain bursts.

Treating any stroke-like symptoms as a medical emergency requires immediate, specialised medical intervention.

How do they treat treat it?

Treatment is determined by what caused the stroke.

Was it a blockage or a bleed?

For those with a blockage, the hospital will use Alteplase, a drug that breaks up clots, within 4 to 5 hours, which can greatly improve their symptoms.

If surgery is chosen, a method similar to angioplasty (a treatment for heart attacks) is used to remove the blockage and let blood flow to the brain again.

Road to recovery

Many stroke survivors have lifelong conditions that require ongoing care. While some recover fully and resume their normal lives with minor dietary and lifestyle adjustments, most survivors require some form of rehabilitation, which typically begins very early in the treatment plan with physiotherapy and speech therapy, to name a few.

Rehabilitation can be short-term or long-term.

What are the main risk factors for a stroke?

Lifestyle is a major one with obesity, an unhealthy diet, excess alcohol consumption over a period of time, and smoking, just to name the obvious ones.

But lifestyle changes and dietary changes can lower the likelihood of having a stroke.

Some medical conditions, like the following, can increase the risk:

Conclusion

We all make unhealthy food choices occasionally, but those who eat unhealthy foods regularly are at significant risk of having a stroke over time.

The statistics provided by the Stroke Association are concerning. A good friend of mine had a health scare a few years ago, but fortunately it was a TIA, and thanks to dietary modifications and regular exercise, he is in better health now than he was 10 years ago.