Stroke - Assessing Risk, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment

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Stroke - Assessing Risk, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment

A stroke is caused due to a sudden loss of blood flow to the brain which may result due to a blockage or a rupture of an artery to the brain. Stroke caused due to blockage of an artery is called ischemia and the same caused by rupture of an artery is known as hemorrhagic. Both the situation can stop the functioning of brain cells which in turn can harm the body part that the said brain cells control. People experiencing a stroke can lose vision, muscle strength, speech or memory. On such occurrences, some people might recover while others can lose their life. There are different diagnostic centers where one can go through a series of tests to determine, the risk of stroke.

Assessing Risk Factors:

It is highly essential to assess the risk factors of stroke in time to prevent occurrences of stroke. Though chances of experiencing a stroke increase with age, however, stroke can happen at any age. In order to assess the risk factors, regular monitoring of blood pressure should be conducted and they should be maintained at the normal level. The focus should be given on maintaining cholesterol level as well as checking body weight regularly and maintaining them according to the patient height and age. Diabetic patients should go through regular checkups to maintain the normal blood sugar level and consumption of tobacco should also be reduced. There are many laboratories or diagnostic centers in cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Nagpur, and other cities, where one can conduct regular tests to assess the stroke risk factors. With early detection, one can avoid a stroke.

Symptoms:

Stroke can happen any time anywhere. As a result, the people around the stroke patients should look for symptoms to confirm whether the patient is experiencing a stroke. The patient can feel numbness in the arms, legs or face area or particularly at one side of the body. They will have trouble speaking or understanding and will experience difficulties in vision. They will feel dizziness and experience lack of coordination. They can also experience a severe headache with apparently no reason. In such events, the family or the people near to the patient should contact the emergency number of any hospital to receive immediate medical attention.

Diagnosis:

Apart from the symptoms, doctors in the emergency immediately conduct tests to diagnose the cause of stroke. Until and unless the cause is detected, it would be difficult to treat the patient. The tests include neurological exams, tests to detect bleeding or blood clotting, and test for measuring the functioning of the brain. Along with the computerized tomography or CT scan and Magnetic resonance imaging or MRI is also conducted in order to determine the extent, type, and location of the stroke. Electrocardiogram and echocardiogram are carried out to identify the presence of blood clot in the cardiac area that might have traveled to the brain.

Treatment:

In case of stroke caused due to blood clotting, treatment is carried out with the use of the clot-busting drug, a blood thinner, and surgery that broadens the inside of narrowed blood vessel. In case of bleeding stroke, treatment includes the use of medication to maintain normal blood clotting and preventing brain swelling. Surgery is carried out to remove blood in the brain and repairing the broken blood vessels.

A patient is needed to follow certain restriction in their postoperative period and they might feel certain disabilities. However, with a timely diagnostic test of stroke and medical assistance, they will be able to come out of life-threatening condition.

Suggested Diagnosis and Tests for Stroke Risk Assessment