strokes

A stroke is a condition where a blood clot or ruptured artery or blood vessel interrupts blood flow to an area of the brain. A lack of oxygen and glucose (sugar) flowing to the brain leads to the death of brain cells and brain damage.
 * // What causes strokes //

|| ||   || Within a few minutes of having a stroke, brain cells begin to die and symptoms can become present. Common symptoms include: Dizziness, Trouble walking, loss of balance and coordination. Speech problems, Numbness, weakness, or paralysis on one side of the body, Blurred, blackened, or double vision, sudden severe headache Smaller strokes may not cause any symptoms, but can still damage brain tissue. || // Average age when symptoms appear // Anyone can suffer from stroke. Although many risk factors contribute towards the possibility of having a stroke, such as The outcome after a stroke depends on where the stroke occurs and how much of the brain is affected. Smaller strokes may result in minor problems, such as weakness in an arm or leg. Larger strokes may lead to paralysis or death. || ||   || The goal in treating strokes is to restore blood flow to the brain. This will be attempted using anti blood clot drugs such as aspirin and heparin within three hours of the stroke. Surgical procedures may be performed that can open up or widen arteries. These include carotid endarterectomy (removal of plaque and widening of the carotid artery) and angioplasty (a balloon that widens the cartoid artery and is held open with a metallic mesh tube called a stent). || // Are there any lifestyle changed that could avoid a stroke? // Stroke prevention is based on living a healthy lifestyle. This includes: The chance of having a stroke approximately doubles for each person at the age of 55. While stroke is common among the elderly, a lot of people under 65 also have strokes. Your stroke risk is greater if a parent, grandparent, sister or brother has had a stroke. African people have a much higher risk of death from a stroke than European people do. This is partly because blacks have higher risks of high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity. Stroke is more common in men than in women. However, more than half of total stroke deaths occur in women. At all ages, more women than men die of stroke. Use of birth control pills and pregnancy pose special stroke risks for women. The risk of a stroke for someone who has already had one is very high compared to a person who has not.
 * // Symptoms of a stoke //
 * Being over the age of 55
 * A family history of stroke
 * High blood pressure
 * High cholesterol
 * Smoking cigarettes
 * Diabetes
 * Obesity and overweight
 * Cardiovascular disease
 * A previous stroke
 * High levels of homocysteine (an amino acid in blood)
 * Birth control use or other hormone therapy
 * Cocaine use
 * Heavy use of alcohol ||  ||
 * // Long term prognosis //
 * // Treatment (if any is avaliable) //
 * Knowing and controlling blood pressure
 * Finding out if you have atrial fibrillation
 * Not smoking
 * Lowering cholesterol, sodium, and fat intake
 * Following a healthy diet
 * Drinking alcohol only in moderation
 * Treating diabetes properly
 * Exercising regularly.
 * Managing stress
 * Not using drugs
 * Taking preventive medications such as anti-platelet and anticoagulant drugs to prevent blood clots
 * Cholesterol lowering drugs can prevent stroke recurrence ||  ||
 * // Prevalence //

After initial hospitalization and stroke rehabilitation, most stroke survivors return to the community, relying on their family members emotional, informational, and instrumental support for daily living. The support of family caregivers for their relatives with stroke have an important impact on whether patients can remain outside of rehabilitation care. || // Addaptions made for the stroke surviver // A home’s features, fixtures and floor plans can pose challenges for stroke survivors. But moving around and accessing all or most areas of your home can be easier or less risky with some simple changes, and most of them are low- or no-cost (for exampe: move furnature around). Home modifications are usually not considered a medical expense, which means they are usually not covered by health insurance either.

// Perception problems // This can make it difficult for the stroke survivor to perform any task that requires seeing how things relate to one another. Because the right brain is in charge of recognizing visual and spatial cues, perception problems usually occur in people who've had right-hemisphere strokes.

Some right-hemisphere stroke survivors lose their entire left visual field. A stroke survivor might neglect her left side, only trimming the toenails on her right foot. In the most extreme cases, stroke survivors sometimes deny their left sides entirely. For example, a person might refuse to believe that her left arm is part of her body. If the person has a very obvious defect from their stroke or a completely numb side of their body they may receive strange looks from others in public places and may have difficultly applying for jobs as others would perceive the stroke survivor as having a disability. ||  || If the stroke survivor was very badly disabled and was unable to work, they would receive a government disability grant each month otherwise they would have no source of income and would not be able to afford the basic necessities to carry on living. If the stroke survivor was not badly affected and their mind and body were still functioning perfectly well, they would not receive any financial aid as they are able to earn an income of their own. || __// Bibliography //__
 * // Financial Aid //
 * [|http://www.google.co.za/#hl=en&sclient=psy-ab&q=do+stroke+victims+get+medical+aid]
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