..........BRAIN STROKE......

    
       The symptoms of stroke will depend on which area of the brain is affected.  The most common symptoms include sudden weakness or numbness of the face, arm, or leg in one side of the body, sudden slurring of speech or difficulty in and understanding speech, suddenly trouble seeing in one or both eyes, sudden severe headache with no apparent cause.  If any of these symptoms appears, the victim should be rushed to the hospital.

      Stroke ia a condition where there ia a loss of brain function due to an interruption in the blood supply to the brain.  There are generally two types of strokes.....ischemic or hemorrhagic.  An ischemic stroke happens when blood flow to a certain part of the brain is compromised due to blockage of an artery where a hemorrhagic stroke results from a leak or rupture of an artery in the brain.  When either of these happens, the interruption is blood flow will cause brain cell death and damage.

      Brain Attack is now the preferred term for a stroke to stress, the importance of prompt recognition and treatment to minimize the deficit or even reverse the symptoms.  The sooner a stroke is treated, the less brain cells die.  It is important to take note of the time when symptoms first appears because the drug may restore blood flow in an obstructed artery and potentially reverse the symptoms.  This is not a medication for all stroke patients, but for those in whom it is indicated, rt PA is a clot buster, that may be administered in selected patients within three hours from the time the symptoms of stroke appear.  Therefore, physicians must see the patient quickly and diagnose them appropriately.

      The patient with a stroke is admitted and monitored carefully is the acute stroke unit for the neuro critical care unit if more intensive management is required.  Stroke unit have been proven to lessen complications and increase the livelihood of better outcomes for stroke patient.  The multi disciplinary and coordinated involvement of stroke experts, including nurses and physicians, guided of established stroke pathways and protocols ensure the best care for a stroke victims.

      Stroke is preventable.  Knowing your stroke risk factors and dealing with them may lessen your chance of having a stroke.  Two types of risk factors exist a patients control.  This includes genetic predisposition,  a history of previous stroke, age (the elder one becomes, the more prone they are to stroke)  and lifestyle risk factor that can be controlled include hypertension, diabetes, cigarette smoking, obesity, high cholesterol, heart disease, physical inactivity and even stress.