What Causes a Stroke?
The exact cause of a stroke is either a blockage of a blood vessel or bleeding into the brain tissue. This is also know as an ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke. In an ischemic stroke flow of oxygen-rich blood is blocked in the blood vessel and cannot reach brain cells resulting in brain tissue damage. In a hemorrhagic stroke a blood vessel bursts or leaks into the brain and the pressure exerted on the cells causes brain damage.
Risk factors that increase the likelihood of experiencing a stroke:
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Diagram explaining the factors that increase the risk of stroke.
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Long-Term Effects
Long term effects of a stroke may include:
- Speech and language: post-stroke a patient's speech and language may be impaired temporarily or permanently. This includes difficulty of naming objects, clear voice, or comprehension. This occurs when the stroke affects the left-hemisphere of the brain where speech and language is controlled or if dysarthria occurs. Speech therapy can help regain these skills.
- Swallowing: The nerves controlling swallowing may be impaired temporarily or permanently leading to unwanted food and liquids in the airway. This can lead to more severe issues like pneumonia.
- Memory: Short-term memory is commonly impacted by a stroke. This includes verbal and visual memory making it difficult to recall information.
- Emotional function: Patients of a stroke are likely to develop emotional issues such as depression and anxiety. It is important to recognize symptoms of these problems to seek proper treatment. Some symptoms include constant sadness, anxiousness, guilt, fatigue, and feeling worthless or hopeless.
- Physical changes: depending on location and the severity of the stroke patients may experience different physical changes from the pre-stoke life. Common effects are: difficulty with holding and gripping, incontinence, nociceptive and neuropathic pain, impaired vision, and weakness/paralysis of one side of the body.