Stroke

Stroke is a disease that affects the arteries leading to and within the brain. It is the number five cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the United States. In St Vincent and the Grenadines, it ranks among the top causes of death and disability due to stroke is also very high.{{more}}

A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts (or ruptures). When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood (and oxygen) it needs, so it and brain cells die.

When stroke is caused by a clot obstructing the flow of blood to the brain it is called an ischemic stroke and when it is caused by a raptured blood vessel that prevents or decrease the blood flow to the brain it is called a hemorrhagic stroke. A transient ischemic attack (TIA), or “mini stroke”, is caused by a temporary clot.

The brain is an extremely complex organ that controls various body functions. If a stroke occurs and blood flow can’t reach the region that controls a particular body function, that part of the body won’t work as it should. That is why the manifestations of stroke are numerous such as the inability to speak, to move the hands, to move the extremities, loss of memory and so forth.

The risks of stroke are numerous and are classified into modifiable and non-modifiable. Those risks that can’t be modified are age, family history, race, gender, and prior stroke/TIA/heart attack. The modifiable risks are those that you can do something about to reduce your risks. They are high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, heart disease, sickle cell, high cholesterol, poor diet and inactivity among many more.

The good news is that 80 per cent of all strokes are preventable. It starts with managing key risk factors, including high blood pressure, cigarette smoking, atrial fibrillation and physical inactivity. More than half of all strokes are caused by uncontrolled hypertension or high blood pressure, making it the most important risk factor to control. Medical treatments may be used to control high blood pressure and/or manage atrial fibrillation among high-risk patients.

Dr Rosmond Adams is a medical doctor and a public health specialist.

He may be emailed at adamsrosmond@gmail.com