Blood brings oxygen
and nutrients to brain cells. A stroke
occurs when blood flow is interrupted to
part of the brain. Without blood, brain
cells quickly begin to die.
Stroke
can affect different people in different
ways. It depends on the type of
stroke,
the area of the brain affected and the
extent of the brain injury.
Stroke causes many
physical and emotional side-effects.
Stroke is the number one cause of
serious permanent disability.
Below are listed some of the
disabilities that stroke can cause:
 |
lack of
sensation
|
|
|
partial or
total paralysis (hemiplegia) |
|
|
bowel and
bladder control
|
|
|
inability to walk and problems
with coordination and balance
(ataxia)
|
|
|
vision
neglect
|
|
|
sexual
ability
|
|
|
loss of
balance
|
|
|
loss of
muscle tone
|
|
|
spasticity |
|
|
central
pain syndrome (thalamic pain) |
|
|
problems with speech and
understanding language (aphasia)
|
|
|
shortened
retention spans and difficulty
learning new information |
|
|
inability
or difficulty with swallowing |
|
|
impaired ability to do math or
to organize, reason, and analyze
items |
|
|
loss of
short-term memory
|
|
|
behavioral changes such as lack
of concern about situations,
impulsivity, inappropriateness,
and depression
|
|
|
coma |
|
|
death |
|
|
... and
many more side-effects not
mentioned
|
Stroke commonly
affects the emotions. It can cause lack of
control of your emotions and an improper
response may happen at inappropriate
times. This is called the
pseudobulbar
affect. Pseudobulbar affect (PBA),
also known as emotional lability, is a
distinct neurologic disorder that causes
sudden and unpredictable episodes of
crying, laughing, or other emotional
displays.
The
statistics about stroke are
unbelievable! Every 45 seconds
someone suffers a stroke.
Over 750,000 people in the United States
experience a stroke every year. Stroke kills nearly 160,000 people each
year. Stroke is the
third leading cause of death in this
country. Nearly 30%
of those who suffer a stroke are under
the age of 65. They affect men
nearly as often as women and blacks
almost twice more
often than whites.
Stroke requires
immediate medical attention. The sooner
treatment is received, the better the
chances of survival. Because of improved
treatment methods, less than three out
of ten people who suffer a stroke die
from the experience.
Thrombolytic therapy is the use of
drugs to break-up the clot that is
causing the disruption in blood flow to
the brain.
It is crucial,
imperative, and very important that you
immediately go to the hospital when you
first notice the
warning signs of a
stroke. The length of time between the
first warning signs and the time you get
to a hospital may be the difference
between a good or poor outcome. Patients
who present to the hospital within 3
hours of the first sign of a stroke have
the possibility to receive Tissue Plasminogen Activator(tPa). tPa is a
clot-buster. It breaks-up the clot to
restore blood flow to the area of the
stroke.
There are many
factors that determine whether or not a
patient is able to receive
thrombolytic therapy. One of these
factors, that you have control of, is
the amount of time between the onset of
symptoms and presentation to the
hospital. If you get to the hospital
within the 3 hour time frame and the
doctor determines you are able to
receive this clot-buster, you may have a
better recovery.
Copyright of The Stroke Network
All rights reserved.
Original date 3/1/96 Revised 11/24/08
