Related topics: patients , stroke
Stroke
hideA stroke is the rapidly developing loss of brain function(s) due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia (lack of blood supply) caused by thrombosis or embolism or due to a hemorrhage. As a result, the affected area of the brain is unable to function, leading to inability to move one or more limbs on one side of the body, inability to understand or formulate speech, or inability to see one side of the visual field. In the past, stroke was referred to as cerebrovascular accident or CVA, but the term "stroke" is now preferred.[citation needed]
A stroke is a medical emergency and can cause permanent neurological damage, complications, and death. It is the leading cause of adult disability in the United States and Europe. In the UK, it is the second most common cause of death, the first being heart attacks and third being cancer. It is the number two cause of death worldwide and may soon become the leading cause of death worldwide. Risk factors for stroke include advanced age, hypertension (high blood pressure), previous stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), diabetes, high cholesterol, cigarette smoking and atrial fibrillation. High blood pressure is the most important modifiable risk factor of stroke.
The traditional definition of stroke, devised by the World Health Organization in the 1970s, is a "neurological deficit of cerebrovascular cause that persists beyond 24 hours or is interrupted by death within 24 hours". This definition was supposed to reflect the reversibility of tissue damage and was devised for the purpose, with the time frame of 24 hours being chosen arbitrarily. The 24-hour limit divides stroke from transient ischemic attack, which is a related syndrome of stroke symptoms that resolve completely within 24 hours. With the availability of treatments that, when given early, can reduce stroke severity, many now prefer alternative concepts, such as brain attack and acute ischemic cerebrovascular syndrome (modeled after heart attack and acute coronary syndrome respectively), that reflect the urgency of stroke symptoms and the need to act swiftly.
A stroke is occasionally treated with thrombolysis ("clot buster"), but usually with supportive care (speech and language therapy, physiotherapy and occupational therapy) in a "stroke unit" and secondary prevention with antiplatelet drugs (aspirin and often dipyridamole), blood pressure control, statins, and in selected patients with carotid endarterectomy and anticoagulation.
For more information about Stroke, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with ischemic stroke
New Web tool may help predict risk of second stroke
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Dec 16, 2009 |
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Scientists have developed a new web-based tool that may better predict whether a person will suffer a second stroke within 90 days of a first stroke, according to research published in the December 16, 2009, online issue ...
Investigational neurostimulation device aims to reduce stroke damage
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Nov 17, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Stroke researchers at the Methodist Neurological Institute in Houston are the only ones in Texas to offer a novel device that might extend the acute stroke treatment window from three hours to 24.
Findings suggest lipid assessment in vascular disease can be simplified, without the need to fast
Nov 10, 2009 |
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Lipid assessment in vascular disease can be simplified by measuring either total and HDL cholesterol levels or apolipoproteins, without the need to fast and without regard to triglyceride levels, according to a study in the ...
Statins may prevent blood clots in patients with cardiovascular disease
Nov 03, 2009 |
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Statins may provide potentially life-saving benefits for patients with cardiovascular disease by helping reduce the incidence of blood clots. New research presented at the 75th annual international scientific assembly of ...
Research: Migraine increases stroke risk
Oct 28, 2009 |
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Migraine with aura (temporary visual or sensory disturbances before or during a migraine headache) is associated with a twofold increased risk of stroke, finds a study published in the British Medical Journal today. Further ...
Antibiotic may be new stroke treatment
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Oct 06, 2009 |
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The antibiotic minocycline may revolutionize the treatment of strokes. A new study, published in the open access journal BMC Neuroscience, describes the safety and therapeutic efficacy of the drug in animal models.
Most Stroke Victims Arrive at Hospital Too Late for Drug Therapy
Oct 02, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Most stroke patients arrive at the hospital too late to take advantage of a clot-busting drug that significantly reduces stroke symptoms and lessens the chance of permanent disability, according to researchers ...
Pediatric strokes more than twice as common as previously reported
Sep 17, 2009 |
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Imaging studies along with diagnostic codes on medical charts show that the rate of strokes in infants and children is two to four times higher than commonly thought, researchers report in Stroke: Journal of the American He ...
New assessment quantifies risks and benefits of warfarin treatment for atrial fibrillation
Aug 31, 2009 |
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Warfarin therapy for patients with atrial fibrillation - the most common type of significant heart rhythm disorder - appears to be most beneficial for the oldest patients, those who have had a prior stroke and for patients ...
Psychosocial therapy with antidepressants more effective in helping depressed stroke patients
Aug 06, 2009 |
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Psychosocial therapy combined with medication can effectively improve depression and recovery in stroke patients, according to a new study reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Protein unfolding is key for understanding blood clot mechanics: study
Aug 06, 2009 |
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Fibrin, the chief ingredient of blood clots, is a remarkably versatile polymer. On one hand, it forms a network of fibers -- a blood clot -- that stems the loss of blood at an injury site while remaining ...
Estrogen can reduce stroke damage by inactivating protein
Jul 16, 2009 |
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Estrogen can halt stroke damage by inactivating a tumor-suppressing protein known to prevent many cancers, Medical College of Georgia researchers say.
Annual costs of stroke in US children at least $42 million
Jul 09, 2009 |
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Stroke in children costs at least $42 million annually in the United States, researchers report in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Blood stem cell growth factor reverses memory decline in mice
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Jul 01, 2009 |
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A human growth factor that stimulates blood stem cells to proliferate in the bone marrow reverses memory impairment in mice genetically altered to develop Alzheimer's disease, researchers at the University ...
Link found between history of periodontitis and cerebrovascular disease in men
Jun 30, 2009 |
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The potential role of periodontitis, an inflammatory disease of the gums, in the risk of cardiovascular disease, particularly ischemic stroke, has received growing attention during the last decade. A new study is the first ...
