One sided body weakness/paralysis

‘Oliver Twist’ had ‘’Great Expectations’’ leading to a ‘’Tale of two cities’’. From the author of these classics (I leave you to fashion it out!) to Gerald Ford (the 38th President of the USA to Iyabo Oko (a Yoruba Nollywood actress) to Goldie…stroke struck, and still continue to strike hundreds of thousands across the globe.

The scene

“I had the kind of stroke where one minute you’re standing behind the couch and the next minute you’re flipped over the couch on the coffee table and everything is everywhere,” Stone said of the moment, which came in the fall of 2001. It’s a little bit like I felt like I was hit by that lightning bolt. I don’t know how long I was on the floor. It was three days before somebody took me to the hospital.” After making it to the hospital, Stone wrestled her way out of exploratory brain surgery. “Ultimately after six days in the hospital, they were going to send me home because they thought that I was acting.

Following her “massive brain hemorrhage and stroke,” Stone, who has been left with a brain seizure condition which she takes medication for, said that during her years of recovery, she saw so many things slip from her life. “I had lost my marriage, lost custody of my child, lost my place in line in the business, lost all my money because I was paying so many different things,” she detailed. “[I was] scraping by. I know what it’s like to go through a situation where you are the top, top, top of your field, to absolutely wiped out.

A lot of it was simply because no one could look at me and simply understand that I was having a brain hemorrhage.” These were the words of Sharon Stone (an American actress) on her experience; you will agree with me that the picture is painfully vivid.

What it is

Stroke is a disease that affects the arteries leading to and within the brain. It is a leading cause of death and disability all over the world. 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 the brain cells eventually die. A stroke is a medical emergency. prompt treatment is crucial. Early action can minimize brain damage and potential complications

Types

1. Ischemic stroke About 85 percent of strokes are ischemic strokes. Ischemic strokes occur when the arteries to the brain become narrowed or blocked, causing severely reduced blood flow (ischemia). The most common ischemic strokes include: a.Thrombotic stroke. A thrombotic stroke occurs when a blood clot (thrombus) forms in one of the arteries that supply blood to the brain.

   A clot may be caused by fatty deposits (plaque) that build up in arteries and cause reduced blood flow (atherosclerosis) or other artery conditions. b.Embolic stroke. An embolic stroke occurs when a blood clot or other debris forms away from the brain — commonly in the heart — and is swept through the bloodstream to lodge in narrower brain arteries. This type of blood clot is called an embolus.

2. Hemorrhagic stroke Hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel in the the leaks or ruptures. Brain hemorrhages can result from many conditions that affect the blood vessels, including uncontrolled high blood pressure (hypertension), overtreatment with anticoagulants and weak spots in the blood vessel walls (aneurysms).

A less common cause of hemorrhage is the rupture of an abnormal tangle of thin-walled blood vessels (arteriovenous malformation) present at birth. Types of hemorrhagic stroke include: a.Intracerebral hemorrhage. In an intracerebral hemorrhage, a blood vessel in the brain bursts and spills into the surrounding brain tissue, damaging brain cells. b.Subarachnoid hemorrhage. In a subarachnoid hemorrhage, an artery on or near the surface of the brain bursts and spills into the space between the surface of the brain and the skull.

1. Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA) A transient ischemic attack (TIA) — also known as a ministroke — is a brief period of symptoms similar to those had in a stroke. A temporary decrease in blood supply to part of the brain causes TIAs, which often last less than five minutes. Like an ischemic stroke, a TIA occurs when a clot or debris blocks blood flow to part of the brain. A TIA doesn’t leave lasting symptoms because the blockage is temporary.

Risk factors

The main risk factors for stroke in this environment are high blood pressure and diabetes mellitus. Other risk factors include tobacco smoking, binge drinking, physical inactivity, obesity, high blood cholesterol, previous TIA, atrial fibrillation, Sickle cell disease, Syphilis, use of illicit drugs, etc

What gives it away

a. Trouble with speaking and understanding.

b. One sided paralysis or numbness of the face, arm or leg.

c. Trouble with seeing in one or both eyes.

d. Headache.

e. Trouble with walking.

When to see a doctor

Think “FAST” and do the following:

• Face. Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?

• Arms. Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward? Or is one arm unable to raise up?

• Speech. Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Is his or her speech slurred or strange?

• Time. If you observe any of these signs, see your doctor immediately.

Treatment

• Targeted at the underlying factor and adjunct medications. Physiotherapy is equally important.

Prevention

Avoidance of the risk factors that can be modified while the non modifiable ones should be managed with a doctor’s help