Brain Attack
Stroke is one of Thailand’s
leading causes of death, and is the largest single cause of neurologic
crippling in our country. In fact, every minute in South East Asia,
someone experiences a stroke. It is one of the leading causes of
adult disability, and about a third of all stroke survivors will
have another stroke within five years.
What is a
stroke?
A stroke is a "brain
attack." Brain attacks occur when an artery that carries blood
to the brain becomes clogged and/or bursts. When that happens, a
part of the brain is deprived of the oxygen it needs to function
properly, causing brain damage or death.
Two major
types of brain attack are:
Blockage:
a clogged cerebral artery. About 85 percent of all brain attacks
are caused by a clogged artery.
Hemorrhage:
bleeding in the brain caused by a blood vessel that bursts. Patients
suffering from high blood pressure are often at a higher risk for
this type of brain attack. About 15 percent of all brain attacks
result from hemorrhage.
Brain attack
risk factors
Risk factors are the
characteristics which affect your chances of experiencing certain
medical conditions. Some brain attack risk factors are beyond your
control, such as:
Age
Chances of having
a brain attack increase with age. Two-thirds of all strokes happen
to people over age 65. Stroke risk doubles with each decade past
age 55.
Gender
Men have a slightly
higher stroke risk than women. But because Thai women live longer
than men, more stroke survivors over age 65 are women.
Diabetes
Diabetics have a higher
stroke risk. This may be due to circulation problems that diabetes
can cause.
Family history
Risk is higher for
people with a family history of stroke. Fortunately, stroke is one
of the most preventable of all life-threatening health conditions.
It’s important to remember that having one or more uncontrollable
stroke risk factors does not make a person fated to have a stroke.
With proper attention to controllable stroke risk factors, the impact
of uncontrollable factors can be greatly reduced. You can reduce
your risk for having a brain attack by adopting a lifestyle that
eliminates unhealthy habits.
Controllable
factors that increase your risk for brain attacks are:
High blood
pressure
Having high blood
pressure, or hypertension, increases stroke risk four to six times.
It is the single most important controllable stroke risk factor.
High blood pressure is often called "the silent killer"
because people can have it and not realise it, since it often has
no symptoms. Hypertension is a common condition affecting almost
one-third of the adult population. Blood pressure is high if it
is consistently more than 140/90. Between 40-90 percent of all stroke
patients had high blood pressure before their stroke. Hypertension
puts stress on blood vessel walls and can lead to strokes from blood
clots or hemorrhage.
Heart disease
Atrial fibrillation
and other heart diseases increase stroke risk up to six times. About
15 percent of all people who have a stroke have heart disease.
High cholesterol
High cholesterol can
directly and indirectly increase stroke risk by clogging blood vessels
and putting people at greater risk for coronary heart disease, another
important stroke risk factor. A cholesterol level of more than 200
is considered "high." Cholesterol is a fatty substance
in the blood that our bodies make on their own, but we also get
it from fat in the foods we eat. High cholesterol levels in the
bloodstream can lead to the buildup of plaque on the inside of arteries,
which can clog and cause heart or brain attack.
Smoking
Smoking doubles stroke
risk. Smoking damages blood vessel walls, speeds up clogging of
arteries by deposits, raises blood pressure and makes the heart
work harder.
Obesity
Excess weight (15
percent or more over ideal body weight) puts a strain on the entire
circulatory system. It also makes people more likely to have other
stroke risk factors such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure
and diabetes.
Physical inactivity
Check with your physician
to determine how much physical activity is right for you. Exercise
is a key factor in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. It can help
alleviate stress and hypertension, lower cholesterol and aid in
weight loss.
Excessive alcohol
consumption
Excessive alcohol
consumption is associated with stroke in a small number of research
studies. Alcohol’s specific role in stroke has not yet been determined
or proven. Recent studies suggest that modest alcohol consumption
may protect against stroke by raising levels of a naturally occurring
"clot-buster" in the blood.
Brain attack
warning signs
Research shows that
only one-third of brain attack patients get to a hospital within
24 hours of the onset of symptoms. In contrast, almost half of all
heart attack victims get medical attention within four hours of
the onset of symptoms. Knowing the symptoms of a brain attack and
treating those symptoms as a medical emergency can minimize long-term
damage from brain attack and even save your life.
Things to
look for include:
- numbness , weakness, or paralysis of the face,
arm or leg on one side of the body
- sudden dimness , blurred or decreased vision,
in one or both eyes
- loss of speech , difficulty speaking or understanding
simple statements
- unexplained dizziness , loss of balance or
coordination, especially combined with another symptom
- sudden, severe headache (often described
as "the worst headache of your life")
- sudden nausea , fever and vomiting – coming
on in a short period of time
- brief loss of consciousness or period of
decreased consciousness (fainting, confusion, or coma)
Neurological
disorders
Many of these neurological
disorders can be treated.
Treatment of symptomatic relief is different for each condition.
Common neurological
disorders include:
- stroke (brain attack)
- Alzheimer’s disease
- headache
- epilepsy
- Parkinson’s disease
- sleep disorders
- multiple sclerosis (MS)
- brain and spinal cord injuries
- brain tumors
- amyotropic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
Surgeries
performed by our Kasemrad neurosurgeons include:
- removal of brain tumors
- aneurysm clippings
- repair of AV malformations
- evacuation of subdural and epidural hematomas
- repair of herniated discs
- insertion of shunts for hydrocephalus
- insertion of intracranial pressure monitoring for various neurological
injuries
- care of spinal cord injury patients
- treatment of cerebral vasopasms
- treatment for intracerebral hermorrhages (stroke)
Neurologist:
Surapong Ambhanwong, M.D., F.R.C.S., F.I.C.S.
Wanchai Taweepoca, M.D.
Call Us (662) 910-1600
E-Mail: treatment@kasemrad.com
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