Stroke

Stroke usually happens as a result of atherosclerosis, where blood vessels fur up with fatty deposits. When this starts to block a blood vessel the blood flow is restricted, and the blood can form a small clot, and if this breaks off an blocks one of the narrow blood vessels bringing blood to the brain, this can result in a stroke. 80% of strokes are caused by blockage, and the remaining 20% by blood vessel walls rupturing, and the bleeding this causes puts pressure on areas of the brain, killing the cells.

Stroke results to damage to that part of the brain which is starved of oxygen, and if the starvation is temporary the brain tissue may recover, however after only a few minutes the delicate brain tissue will die, and whatever function that area of the brain had will be lost. This loss of function is normally on only one side of the body, reflecting the fact that each blood vessel only supplies one side of the brain.

Symptoms of stroke vary widely and include muscle weakness, numbness, loss of feeling, loss of coordination, confusion and memory loss.

Recovery from stroke is quicker where the cells do not die, but cell death only produces recovery where other parts of the brain start to take over the function of the cells that have been lost.

To minimise your risk of stroke -

• Control your blood pressure
• Control your cholesterol level
• Control your alcohol consumption
• Give up smoking
• Exercise regularly
• Healthy Eating is important. Eat a low fat healthy diet to prevent metabolic syndrome or diabetes developing