|
|
|
|
||
|
||
|
|
||
| SEARCH | SUBSCRIBE | ||
Some related articles : |
Strokes
A
stroke is an event in the brain, which causes injury to the tissue and
affects the use of that bit of brain. Every year 100,000 people in the UK
have a stroke. There
are several causes, including a burst blood vessel or a blood clot. You
may notice anything from a temporary loss of use of a limb to permanent
weakness down one side. Although anyone can have a stroke, it is more
common in the over 55's. Your
symptoms will depend on which bit of the brain is affected. The most
common is weakness in a limb but difficulties with speech, thought,
balance, sight, hearing and swallowing can also happen. If
you are suffering just a temporary loss it is called a transient ischaemic
attack (TIA), often known as a mini-stroke, and your symptoms will
disappear within a few hours or days. How
do I know I am having a stroke?
Look
out for sudden numbness, weakness or paralysis on one side of the body.
You may have a drooping arm, leg or even eyelid. You may dribble, slur
your speech or be unable to talk at all. Your vision may be blurred or
different to normal, especially in one eye. You may also feel dizzy and
have a headache. You may know nothing about it but be confused and
disorientated. If you get these symptoms, get help immediately. What happens if I have a stroke? It
will depend on the type and severity but you may need to be in hospital
for a while. You may need medication to treat the cause of the stroke and
rehabilitation to help strengthen the muscles that are controlled by the
affected brain. Speech therapy may also be necessary. Sadly,
a third of people who have strokes are left with permanent disability.
This can reduce your quality of life immensely, changing the way you live
and work, so it's better to try to prevent them in the first place. What can I do to prevent stroke? The best way to prevent a stroke is to avoid the risk factors (see table). You may want to talk to your doctor about stroke prevention medicine. This is actually very simple and consists of aspirin, or other drugs to thin the blood slightly and stop clots forming. Aspirin is cheap and safe for most people. FAIR USE NOTICE: This page contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Global Action on Aging distributes this material without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C § 107. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
|
