What is stroke: Stroke is a disease that causes damage to the arteries that supply blood to the brain. Stroke occurs when the blood vessels that carry nutrients and oxygen to the brain either burst or are blocked by a clot. We are working at Fortis Escort Hospital, Dr. Delhi. Nitin Kumar talked to Rai about what are the symptoms of stroke and how to prevent it.
stroke symptoms
1. Difficulty in speaking means the patient is not able to say what he wants to say. Apart from this, it is also difficult to understand what others are saying.
2. Weakness in any one part of the body, face, hands and legs.
3. Difficulty seeing with one or both eyes. These include double vision, visual field problems, and blurred vision.
4. Sudden and severe headache, dizziness, vomiting with altered consciousness may be associated with stroke.
5. Loss of balance and coordination may manifest with pneumonic stroke symptoms.
remember this formula
be fast
(B = balance problem
E = eye problem
F= facial weakness
A= arm weakness
S = speaking problem
t = start time)
If symptoms of BEFAST appear, a doctor should be consulted immediately.
stroke risk factors
1. Old age
2. Family history of stroke
3. Atrial Fibrillation
4. Tobacco use
5. Lack of exercise
6. Bad cholesterol
7. High blood pressure
8. Diabetes
9. Drinking alcohol
10. Suffering from prolonged stress
Ways to avoid stroke
1. Avoid tobacco and alcohol. Control your blood pressure and diabetes with medications and lifestyle changes.
2. Avoid stress, do regular yoga, exercise, take a brisk walk for 30 minutes daily, eat a healthy diet rich in fiber, avoid oily and processed food.
3. If your heartbeat is irregular, take medicine from the doctor to control it.
4. Patients who have a history of stroke should take blood-thinning medications to prevent future attacks.
stroke treatment
A stroke patient should be brought to the emergency room within 4.5 hours during the ‘golden hour’. Here thrombolysis must be administered to dissolve the clot. Additionally, if larger blood vessels become blocked, the clot can be removed through a catheter-based technique called thrombectomy.
