Page 40 - MASALA VOL 8 ISSUE 3 DECEMBER 2016 – JANUARY 2017

Treatment: On The

‘STROKE’

of Time

Fast track to improved stroke treatment

Golden Period limits stroke damage hours

Strokes are among the leading causes of death and disability in the world today. A stroke Golden
can occur suddenly when the blood supply to your brain is interrupted or reduced, thus Period
depriving the brain of oxygen and nutrients and causing brain cells to die. A stroke may
be caused by a blocked artery (ischemic stroke) or the leaking or bursting of a blood
vessel (hemorrhagic stroke).

But timely and professional treatment within the Golden Period of time, 4.5 hours,
can make all the di erence in your speedy recovery back to normal.
Types of Stroke

About 85 percent of all strokes are ischemic strokes, which occur when
arteries to your brain are blocked or become narrowed, causing severely
reduced blood ow. A thrombotic stroke happens when a blood clot forms in
one of the arteries supplying blood to your brain. An embolic stroke occurs
when a blood clot (or other debris) forms away from your brain, commonly in
your heart, and sweeps through your bloodstream to lodge in narrower brain
arteries. A hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel in your brain
leaks or ruptures. Types of hemorrhagic stroke include intracerebral — a
blood vessel in your brain bursts; and subarachnoid — an artery on or near
the surface of your brain ruptures and spills blood into the space between
your brain and skull.

Many factors can increase your risk of stroke. Other factors also can
increase your chances of having a heart attack. Potentially treatable
stroke risk factors include:

LIFESTYLE RISK FACTORS
Being overweight or obese, physical inactivity, cigarette smoking or
exposure to second-hand smoke, heavy drinking and use of illicit drugs.
MEDICAL RISK FACTORS

High blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, diabetes, sleep apnea
and cardiovascular disease.

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