DHAKA: A stroke is a serious medical condition that occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off.

Strokes are a medical emergency and prompt treatment is essential because the sooner a person receives treatment for a stroke, the less damage is likely to happen.

The main symptoms of stroke can be remembered with the word FAST: Face-Arms-Speech-Time.
•    Face – the face may have dropped on one side, the person may not be able to smile or their mouth or eye may

have dropped
•    Arms – the person with suspected stroke may not be able to lift one or both arms and keep them there because of arm weakness or numbness
•    Speech – their speech may be slurred or garbled, or the person may not be able to talk at all despite appearing to be awake
•    Time – it is time to dial 999 immediately if you see any of these signs or symptoms

Types of stroke
•    Ischaemic (accounting for over 80% of all cases) – the blood supply is stopped due to a blood clot  
•    haemorrhagic – a weakened blood vessel supplying the brain bursts and causes brain damage
•    Transient ischaemic attack (TIA). where the supply of blood to the brain is temporarily interrupted, causing a `mini-stroke`.

Causes of brain stroke
Like all organs, the brain needs the oxygen and nutrients provided by blood to function properly. If the supply of blood is restricted or stopped, brain cells begin to die. This can lead to brain damage and possibly death.
People over 65 years of age are most at risk from having strokes, although 25% of strokes occur in people who are under 65. It is also possible for children to have strokes.
•    Smoking,
•    being overweight,
•    lack of exercise,
•    poor diet are also risk factors for stroke.
•    conditions that affect the circulation of the blood, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, atrial fibrillation (an irregular heartbeat)
•    diabetes, increase your risk of having a stroke.
Treating stroke

Treatment depends on the type of stroke you have, including which part of the brain was affected and what caused it.
Also you should
•    prompt transfer to a hospital providing specialist care
•    an urgent brain scan (for example, computerised tomography [CT] or magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]) undertaken as soon as possible
•    immediate access to a high quality stroke unit

Treatment of Ischaemic strokes
•    Ischaemic strokes can be treated using a `clot-busting` medicine called alteplase, which dissolves blood clots (thrombolysis).
•    You will also be given a regular dose of aspirin (an anti-platelet medication), as this makes the cells in your blood, known as platelets, less sticky, reducing the chances of further blood clots occurring. If you are allergic to aspirin, other anti-platelet medicines are available.
•    Controlling Blood pressure: If your blood pressure is too high, you may be given medicines to lower it.

Medicines that are commonly used include:
•    thiazide diuretics
•    angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors
•    calcium channel blockers
•    beta-blockers
•    alpha-blockers
•    Reducing Cholesterol level: If the level of cholesterol in your blood is too high, you will be given a medicine known as a statin (Atorvastatine,lovastatine Etc). Statins reduce the level of cholesterol in your blood by blocking an enzyme (chemical) in the liver that produces cholesterol.
Carotid stenosis
Some ischaemic strokes are caused by a narrowing in the carotid artery, which is an artery in the neck, which takes blood to the brain. The narrowing, known as carotid stenosis, is caused by a build-up of fatty plaques.
Preventing stroke

Strokes can usually be prevented through a healthy lifestyle.
•    Eating a healthy diet,
•     taking regular exercise,
•    Avoiding alcohol in moderation
•    Not smoking.
•    Lowering high blood pressure and cholesterol levels with medication also lowers the risk of stroke substantially.
•    Regular Exercise

BDST: 2330 HRS, OCT 28, 2013
ARR/GR/MZR