Some people suffer from high blood pressure, as it is a disease of the age, but did you imagine that high blood pressure could lead to a stroke? .. Of course, not controlling the level of blood pressure, or not adhering to medication doses to treat high blood pressure exposes you to many health risks, including stroke, so follow the following article with us to find out Causes of a stroke symptoms, and how to prevent and treat them.

What is a brain stroke?

A stroke or stroke is a serious medical emergency, and it occurs in the event of a lack or cessation of blood and oxygen access to the brain, and thus the brain cells are damaged within several minutes of their occurrence, and therefore the earlier the treatment, the less complications.

Types of stroke

ischemic stroke;

This type is the most common type of brain stroke, and it occurs in the case of narrowing or blockage of the blood vessels in the brain, and this happens due to the accumulation of fats inside the blood vessels, which causes a lack of blood flow to the brain in what is known as ischemia.

hemorrhagic stroke;

This type of stroke occurs if a blood vessel in the brain bursts or ruptures, and brain hemorrhage can occur due to high blood pressure. Types of hemorrhagic stroke include brain hemorrhage, transient ischemic attack, and subarachnoid hemorrhage, which is bleeding between the brain and the membrane surrounding it (the subarachnoid hemorrhage).

Symptoms of a brain stroke

Pay attention when a stroke occurs, as time here makes a big difference in high recovery rates, including: Stroke symptoms before they happen The appearance of any of the following symptoms on the patient, as they include: Mild stroke symptoms or Symptoms of a minor stroke The onset of some symptoms, but it also requires going to the doctor, so when one of the following symptoms appears, you must go to the hospital immediately, and the symptoms of a stroke include the following:

Primary symptoms

• Difficulty speaking.
• Blurred vision with vision problems in either one eye or both eyes.
• Difficulty walking and loss of balance.
• Feeling dizzy and dizzy.
• Difficulty understanding other people’s words.
• Feeling of numbness or paralysis in the face, leg, or arm, and in most cases this feeling is only on one side of the body.
• Sensation of a severe and sudden headache.
• Nausea and vomiting.

It usually lasts Transient stroke symptoms for several minutes and then disappear within an hour, and some of the previous symptoms rarely last for 24 hours.

Late symptoms

It is worth noting that if you notice any of the previous symptoms in one of your family members or relatives, you must follow the following:

• Ask him to smile and note if one side of the face droops.
• Ask him to speak, even in a simple sentence, and note whether the speech will be clear and understandable or not.
• Ask him to raise his arms, will he be able to do it or not.

If he cannot smile or speak normally, or raise one of the arms up, an emergency call must be made immediately to rescue the injured person and save his life.

Stroke and coma

Coma is a loss of consciousness for a period, and it can occur due to a brain stroke, and it is a serious condition that requires going to the doctor immediately to conduct several medical examinations, and first aid the patient with appropriate treatment, because the loss of consciousness for a long time can cause many serious health complications for the brain and body. entire.

Causes and risk factors for stroke

A brain stroke occurs as a result of a blockage or bursting of a blood vessel in the brain or an artery in the brain, and thus a disturbance in the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain occurs. Risk factors for a stroke include the following:

• Hypertension.
• Overweight and obesity.
• Smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke.
• Diabetes.
• Decreased body activity.
• Drug addiction such as cocaine.
• Having heart or blood vessel diseases such as heart failure.
• Having a family history of stroke or heart attack.
• High level of harmful cholesterol in the blood.
• Taking birth control pills or some types of hormonal therapy that contain estrogen.
• The chances of having a stroke increase with age, 55 years or older.
• Sleep Apnea.

Stroke complications

Is a stroke serious? ? To answer this question, it is necessary to know that a stroke causes many serious health complications, and some of these complications may be temporary, while others may be permanent, including the following:

• Difficulty speaking clearly.
• Inability to swallow or eat.
• memory loss.
• Loss of muscle control on one side of the face or one arm.
• Inability to control emotions, increased risk of depression.
• Difficulty thinking.
• Feeling pain or numbness in the affected part of the body.

Diagnosing a stroke

After knowing the causes of a brain stroke, you must know how to diagnose the injury, as the doctor takes many procedures that help diagnose a brain stroke, and the first procedure he takes immediately is a CT scan of the brain, in order to determine the type of stroke, prescribe the appropriate treatment for each type, and methods Diagnostics include:

physical examination

The doctor will perform many physical examinations, such as checking the heart rate and measuring blood pressure, and examining many other organs of the body, to ascertain the extent to which the organs of the body have been damaged by the stroke.

Blood tests

The doctor orders several blood tests, in order to check how quickly the blood clots, and to know the level of sugar in the blood.

Computed tomography CT

It is the use of X-rays to show a detailed picture of the brain, in order to detect the presence of bleeding in the brain, the presence of brain tumors, or a brain stroke.

MRI MRI

The doctor injects the patient with a specific dye into the blood vessels, to show the condition of the arteries and veins, and this examination reveals damaged brain tissue, which occurred, whether due to bleeding in the brain, or a stroke.

Carotid ultrasound examination

Sound waves are used to create clear internal images of the carotid arteries in the neck. This scan shows blood flow through the carotid arteries.

Echocardiogram

This examination is done by means of sound waves to imaging the heart, and detecting the source of the clot in the heart, which can later move from the heart to the brain, and thus the occurrence of a stroke.

Cerebral angiography

This examination is not common, in which the doctor inserts a thin flexible tube through a small hole in the groin in what is known as a catheter, and passes through the carotid artery in the neck, then the vertebral artery in the brain, then the doctor injects the patient with dye, until Arteries in the brain and neck become visible when X-rayed.

Stroke treatment

After knowing the causes of a stroke, some people wonder What after a stroke? After the injury, the stage of knowing the type of stroke comes to receive the appropriate treatment for each type, but in all cases the injury requires rapid intervention. Treatment methods include:

Treatment of ischemic stroke

In the event of this type of infection, some medications that help dissolve clots must be taken, which must be taken within 4 to 5 hours of the onset of symptoms, and medications can be given intravenously, so the faster the medical intervention, the fewer complications resulting from it.

The treatment is also done by unblocking the blocked artery to help the blood flow normally, and this type of treatment has shown a remarkable improvement in the condition of many patients, and there is another type of treatment that is done by removing the clot from the brain using a catheter, and this procedure is useful in many cases Cases that did not respond to drug treatment.

Another treatment, carotid endarterectomy, removes plaque (fatty deposits) blocking the carotid artery, to help improve blood flow in the carotid artery and reduce the risk of stroke.

Hemorrhagic stroke treatment

In the case of this type of infection, the doctor gives the patient some medications that help stop bleeding, reduce pressure in the brain, and lower high blood pressure. In some other cases, the doctor requires surgery to control the bleeding and get rid of excess blood in the brain. Reducing pressure on the skull.

How to prevent a stroke

If a member of your family suffers from high blood pressure and you feel anxious and afraid of having a stroke, you can help him avoid the causes of a stroke and encourage him to follow many of the following tips to prevent it, including the following:

• Take care to maintain a normal blood pressure rate, as this helps reduce the risk of stroke.
• Quit smoking, and avoid sitting in places with smokers to avoid the harms of passive smoking.
• Follow a healthy diet rich in vegetables, fruits and whole grains.
• Make sure to do regular exercise.
• Controlling blood sugar.
• Avoid taking drugs.
• Make sure to lose excess weight and maintain a healthy weight.

And at the end of the article, after I got acquainted with Causes of a stroke And the symptoms that appear on the patient, you must be reassured, despite the seriousness of a stroke, following the prevention methods that we mentioned earlier help reduce the chances of exposure to it, with best wishes for your continued health and wellness.