A Stroke Should be Considered a Brain Attack

Strokes are to the Brain what Heart Attacks are to the Heart

May 1, 2009 Sanjiva Wijesinha

The word Stroke is not a good description because it doesn't really convey the true meaning of what happens when a man gets a Stroke.

The term 'Stroke' is derived from the fact that the person who suffers a Stroke is "Struck down" by the event – which occurs when blood flow to the brain is suddenly cut off. What happens to the brain as a consequence is very similar to what happens to the heart when someone suffers a heart attack, which is the result of the blood flow to the heart being suddenly blocked by a clot in the coronary arteries.

Cerebrovascular Accident

Doctors today prefer to use the term ‘CerebroVascular Accident’ (CVA) or even "Brain Attack" instead of this old term ‘Stroke’.

To most folk, the only experience they have of this condition is that they know someone who is paralysed or left with badly impaired speech after suffering a Stroke.

Ischaemia or Haemorrhage?

Strokes may be of two types:

• Ischaemic stroke - when an artery carrying blood to the brain gets blocked, usually by a small clot
• Haemorrhagic stroke - when an artery ruptures and bleeds into the brain tissue surrounding it.

Ischaemic strokes are much more common. They happen when an artery (blood vessel) carrying blood to the brain becomes narrowed by a fatty substance termed atheroma that gets deposited on its inner wall. If a tiny blood clot (which would usually pass through a normal sized artery) gets stuck in such a narrowed artery, blood flow stops – and the region of brain that is starved of oxygen-carrying blood dies. It is the same as happens to the heart when it suffers a heart attack due to blocked coronary arteries.

Damage to Brain Results in Loss of Brain Function

Because the brain controls movements and sensation as well as higher functions such as speech, sight and smell, damage to the area of brain that controls a particular function results in loss of that function. The regions of the brain commonly damaged are the Speech area (which is responsible for recognising words and articulating sounds) and the Motor area (which controls movement).This explains the usual consequence of a stroke - like slurred speech or lack of speech, and paralysis or inability to move a limb or limbs on one side of the body.

Risk Factors for Strokes

Certain Risk Factors make a person vulnerable to Stroke. If we understand that the whole circulatory tree is one entity, we can appreciate that these are the same Risk Factors associated with heart attacks.

High on this list are high blood pressure and diabetes. About half the patients who suffer a stroke have uncontrolled high blood pressure at the time of their attack – and over a quarter have diabetes. Regrettably, many who have high blood pressure and diabetes do not even know that they have these diseases!

The sad thing about Strokes is that they kill a portion of patients – and leave most others paralysed in some form or another, thus placing a burden on their families as well as a great deal of suffering on themselves.

Reduce Risk of Getting a Stroke

There are several measures that we as individuals can undertake to reduce our own risk of having a CVA. The most important are

• getting our blood pressure checked at least once a year – and if high, taking steps to get the pressure back to normal levels
• getting our blood sugar checked annually – and if we are found to have Diabetes, making an effort to properly manage our Diabetes
• getting our heart checked – because an irregular heart beat (termed atrial fibrillation) can result in blood clots shooting off into the circulation andgoing to block a blood vessel
• not smoking – because smoking narrows the arteries
• if we need medication (for example to control blood pressure, normalise blood sugar and cholesterol, slow down an irregular heart or reduce the clottability of blood), taking this medication regularly and as prescribed.

Knowing about the Risk Factors that increase the risk of stroke is vital if we are to reduce our population of stroke victims – and prevent our own selves from being struck down by a stroke.

The copyright of the article A Stroke Should be Considered a Brain Attack in Men’s Health is owned by Sanjiva Wijesinha. Permission to republish A Stroke Should be Considered a Brain Attack in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Brain Attack

What do you think about this article?

---

NOTE: Because you are not a Suite101 member, your comment will be moderated before it is viewable.

post your comment

What is 3+7?