Stroke

Overview

Stroke is a serious life-threatening medical condition that happens when blood supply to an area of the brain is cut off. When this occurs, the brain becomes deprived of oxygen and nutrients, thus brain cells begin to die.

Signs and Symptoms

Numbness or paralysis on one side of the body, Drooping of one side of the face, Double or blurred vision, Slurred speech, Headache, Dizziness, Vomiting, Unconsciousness

Common Causes

Cerebral microangiopathy, Cardiac emboli as a result of endocarditis or atrial fibrillation, Atherothromboembolism from carotids, Central nervous system bleeds due to uncontrolled hypertension,aneurysm rupture, trauma or overtreatment with anticoagulants

Risk Factors

High blood pressure, Diabetes, High cholesterol, Obstructive sleep apnea, Cardiovascular disease, Being overweight or obese, Lack of physical activity, Smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke, Excessive alcohol intake, Recreational drug abuse, Family history of cardiovascular diseases or stroke, Increasing age, Use of certain medications such as oral, contraceptive pills or hormone replacement therapy

Investigation Techniques

Medical history, Physical examination, Blood tests including coagulation profile, Computerised tomography (CT) scan of the brain, Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain, Carotid ultrasound to look for plaques and check the blood blow in the carotid arteries, Cerebral angiogram to get a detailed view of arteries in the neck and brain, Transthoracic or transesophageal echocardiogram to look for source of blood clots in the heart

Treatment and Prevention

Oral medications such as antiplatelets, anticoagulants, high blood pressure medications and lipid lowering drugs, Thrombolysis, Mechanical thrombectomy, Craniectomy, Angioplasty and stents, Carotid endarterectomy, Surgical blood vessel repair such as surgical clipping, endovascular embolisation, surgical arteriovenous malformation removal, stereotactic radiosurgery, Stroke rehabilitation