Stroke incident may occur if the blood supply to the brain is sidelined in a serious manner which may result in the brain tissue to run out of oxygen. This process may arise for the brain cells to easily die off.
Stroke is one of most serious health factors in Nigeria and other African countries, in this write ups we emphasise how to identify, reduce the incidence, complications and the burden of strokes.
Evidently, a stroke can manifest in temporary or permanent disability, depending on how long the brain was denied of blood flow and which part was affected, which will result in the following complications:
1) Paralysis or loss of muscle movement
2) Difficulty in speech or swallowing
3) Memory loss
4) Pain
5) Emotional challenges and burden for the family
This illness is the most common cause of death and neurological disabilities amongst the Nigerian adults. The prevalence and menace of this deadly illness were made worse by the oversight of its medical importance, early detection and lack of prompt treatment.
Types of stroke
There are two types of strokes, they are:
Ischemic Stroke and
Hemorrhagic Stroke
In an Ischemic stroke, incidence occurs if the arteries that lead to the brain area are reduced in form of blockage or in an extreme case of blood reduction process which is called ischemia and the most common ischemic strokes are:
a) Thrombotic stroke: A health condition that can cause a blood clot or thrombus in one of the arteries can cause reduced blood flow which is called atherosclerosis.
b) Embolic Stroke: This type of brain damage seems to occur as a result of a blood clot that separates from the brain, which can move down the blood stream to any area in a narrower brain artery.
Hemorrhagic stroke arises when a blood vessel in the brain ruptures or breaks, in addition, brain hemorrhage can result from many conditions which affect the blood vessels with cases of uncontrolled high blood pressure (hypertension), over treatment with anticoagulants and presence of weak spots in the blood vessel walls called aneurysms.
Symptoms
There are certain signs and symptoms to watch out for during the attack of this deadly illness.
The victim will experience the following symptoms:-
1) Trouble with speech
2) Numbness of the face, arm, and leg
3) Sight problem in both eyes
4) Constant headache
5) Trouble in walking
Causes and factors that generate stroke
It was noted that stroke is triggered during the process whereby the blood level is the brain are lowered and this disturbance denies the brain the oxygen and nutrients, which enables the brain cells to undergo degeneration or to die. Another contributory cause may also be as a result of the breaking of a blood vessel (hemorrhagic stroke).
These factors include:
Obesity (overweight)
Lack of physical activity (Exercise)
Alcohol addiction
Drug & tobacco addiction
And in addition, medical risk factors such as;
High cholesterol
Diabetes
Obstructive sleep (sleep disorder)
Cardiovascular diseases
High blood pressure and other risks including family history of stroke, ageing (older age) and gender.
It is advisable and important to look-out for the symptoms of stroke as early detection and quick treatment could help to limit the damages to the brain and increase the chances of full recovery because the longer a stroke stayed untreated, the greater the chances for brain damage and disability.
When you encounter these symptoms, quickly seek immediate medical attention and treatment as every minute counts. Many hospitals and clinics can easily help patients having the symptoms of stroke to cure it in Nigeria or any African countries.