Possible consequences of ischemic stroke and their prevention

Ischemic stroke is a disorder of brain activity due to insufficient or missing blood supply to a specific area of ​​the brain.

Occurs in the background of blockage of feeding vessels both in the head itself and, for example, in the carotid artery.

Your attention is an article about the symptoms and consequences of ischemic stroke of the brain.

Contents

  • 1 General information
  • 2 General information
  • 2 Features of the course of the disease on the left and right side
  • 3 Emergency care for brain damage
  • 4 Possible complications
  • 5 Danger in the rehabilitation period
  • 6 Treatment
  • 7 How many live after the attack, useful recommendations

General information


In view of all these factors, arises partiallyviolation in the brain , which affects the physiological activity of the patient, and his speech, visual function.

The consequences of an ischemic stroke can develop a multitude, and for each patient this list is purely individual, depending on the clinical picture of the disease, the time elapsed since the seizure and the site that has been most affected by the impaired blood supply.

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Features of the course of the disease on the left and right side

To understand what happens to a person after an ischemic stroke, you need to consider how his brain works. It functions conditionally symmetrically, only its right side is responsible for the left part of the body, the left side for the right side.

Directly during a stroke, the blood flow of one of the parts( the bilateral stroke is quite rare), cardinally worsens, because of which one of the brain areas simply atrophies.

He can not normally perform his function, since he lacks oxygen, micronutrients. At the same time, the pituitary gland responsible for the synthesis of hormones( those in turn responsible for reproductive function, digestion, psychological health) can be inhibited.

As practice shows, most often ischemic stroke is accompanied by dizziness, short-term loss of consciousness, speech defects and paralysis( temporary) .And already at this stage doctors can determine which half of the brain is damaged.

If the paralysis is noticeable on the left side of the body, then, respectively, the "right" half of the brain is the "problem", and vice versa.

What are the symptoms only when left side stroke? On its background, the following are noticeable:

  • complexity in building a logical chain;
  • impossibility to build heavy speech speed;
  • worsens hearing, and it is difficult for the victim to understand others;
  • non-expressed gestures with the right hand, while the left hand operates normally.

The above symptoms are excellent for pre-hospital diagnosis. It should only be remembered that the right side of the brain responds more for emotions and intuition, but the left side - for logic, speech, mathematical abilities. At the same time, the victim will have problems even with the simplest tasks of , by the type of example solution for adding from the first class program.

And most importantly - ischemic stroke, in contrast to hemorrhagic, develops gradually or a periodic exacerbation of symptoms. It starts more often with headache, complex deterioration of health, pallor of the skin( on the face it is especially noticeable).

Emergency care for brain damage

First aid for ischemic stroke includes:

  • patient should be given a horizontal position, regardless of whether he is now conscious;
  • release neck from shirt and other dense clothing;
  • release the oral cavity( remove the denture, candy, chewing gum);
  • attach to the head cold;
  • if the patient is unconscious - his head should be placed on his side, as he may have a spontaneous urge to vomit.
Naturally, before all this you need to call an ambulance and before the time of arrival to measure the pulse of the victim. If necessary, resuscitation is carried out - indirect cardiac massage and artificial respiration( with signs of clinical death).

Further hospitalization of the patient is mandatory , as it is necessary to detect a thrombosed vessel and normalize bleeding.

Useful information about first aid for the disease:

Possible complications of

The most common consequences after an ischemic stroke are paralysis, speech impairment, visual damage( partial or complete loss of vision for one eye).Subsequently, with timely medical assistance, the patient's symptoms go away, but in part there is a worsened sensitivity( in particular, language), speech defects .

The rehabilitation period will take quite a long time and no one can guarantee that the work of the brain will be fully restored. Alas, but if atrophy was achieved, then this is an irreversible process.

The most important factor affecting the consequences of a stroke is the area and extent of brain damage. For example, if a stroke touched the middle cerebral artery pool, then this could trigger the conductivity of neural canals.

As a result - the brain does not receive sensitive signals and there is complete paralysis, but cognitive functions are preserved to the fullest extent( speech, taste receptors, control of natural processes of vital activity).

According to statistics compiled by physicians themselves, following ischemic stroke most often develops the following neuronal defects:

  • movement coordination disorder - in 75% of all cases;
  • deterioration of visual function, in particular, underestimation of the field of vision - in 65% of cases;
  • speech impairment - 55% of cases;
  • dysphagia( difficulty in swallowing) - about 25% of cases;
  • aphasia( decrease of the known speech turnover) - in 10%.

A with extensive brain damage has a high likelihood of confluence with .And its duration also directly depends on the vastness of the zone affected by the stroke.

The average duration of coma after an ischemic stroke is from several hours to 10 days. Much rarer - up to several months and even years, but it is quite possible.

Does the patient's age affect the consequences of cerebral ischemic stroke and is there a difference between complications in the child, the elderly and among middle-aged people?

In children, for example, the coordination of movements of is most often only disturbed, but even then it passes( with the observance of medical recommendations).At mature also defects of speech and deterioration of visual function are added.

For elderly patients, the projections are predominantly negative. Their consequences are much greater and over time they progress, especially if there are other chronic diseases of the cardiovascular system or hypertension( most likely, it was she who provoked the primary attack).

With regard to mortality, with ischemic stroke it is up to 15% over the next few years of life after the attack. And, as practice shows, mortality in stroke up to 50 years is much lower because of the effectiveness of regenerative functions of a relatively young organism.

Danger during the rehabilitation period

The risk of a stroke is that its effects can make itself felt much later than the attack of the itself. According to the doctors, the so-called period of possible complications takes, on average, 2 years. By what signs can you determine the deterioration of the patient?

In this regard, it is recommended to conduct a short diagnosis. You can do it at home, without the presence of a doctor. The essence of the test is to perform a few simple tasks:

  • stretch your arms in front of you with your palms up, eyes close;
  • raise both hands above your head;
  • utter a complex sentence;
  • tell a part of any verse that the patient was studying at school.
If, during the raising of hands, their movements are not symmetrical or not even, this indicates the presence of consequences.

The same applies to possible speech defects. And such a check should be performed at least once a week by to monitor the patient's condition. After all, deterioration of his state of health can occur without any external manifestations.

And he himself can not even guess about it. In other respects, should pay attention to any changes in the behavior or habits of the person .Sharp change of character, slowing down of movements, forgetfulness of words - all this directly or indirectly can be connected with the gone illness. In case of any suspicion, consult your doctor and as soon as possible.

Treatment of

It is believed that the total period of therapy after a stroke takes up to 2 months. This is the so-called "subacute" period. Then rehabilitation begins, lasting up to 2 years.

After - the period of "residual effects", with which, most likely, the patient will have to live a lifetime. All kinds of complications occur less rarely with the following factors:

  • limited cerebral infarction;
  • with a satisfactory state of the cardiovascular system;
  • at a young age( conditionally - up to 40-50 years).

Rehabilitation and treatment of consequences itself includes:

  • teaching;
  • drug therapy( aimed at normalizing the pressure and restoring the vascular tone);
  • ergotherapy;
  • physiotherapy;
  • kinesiotherapy;
  • hirudotherapy;
  • acupuncture;
  • speech therapy;
  • consultation of a psychologist and psychotherapist.
The doctor prescribes the indications during the patient's discharge, taking into account the consequences and complications. For each individual person, the list of necessary consultations varies radically, depending on the degree of brain damage.

See the video about rehabilitation after a stroke:

How many live after the attack, useful recommendations


The main factor affecting the life expectancy of a person who has survived a stroke is his age and condition of the cardiovascular system. Unfortunately, to restore the full functionality of the brain will not succeed , you can only partially reduce the defective area.

At the same time for the rest of life, in most cases, prescribing drugs that are responsible for pressure regulation( adrenoblockers), preventing the formation of thrombi, rupture of feeding vessels. And the prognosis directly depends on how responsible the patient will be to fulfill all these recommendations and instructions of doctors.

How many live after a stroke? Until old age, if you do not give up therapy. With severe complications( unidentified paralysis), the average life expectancy ranges from 2 to 10 years. The prognosis is conditional, as more detailed WHO studies have not been conducted.

AND it is extremely important for the patient to constantly monitor his health. Annual comprehensive examinations for this person should become the norm. Together with this, one should abandon bad habits and fully observe a healthy lifestyle.

Total, ischemic stroke is a disease of the brain. He is preceded most often by hypertension, heart failure, thrombosis of feeding vessels. The consequences of this may be the heaviest, connected specifically with the functionality of the brain.

Most often - it's paralysis, the difficulty in building heavy sentences, speech defects. The only treatment option is strict adherence to all doctor's instructions.

In conclusion, we offer to know more information about the causes and consequences of the disease: