Stroke is seemingly a simple word, but in medical terms it is an emergency. When blood supply to parts of the brain is interrupted, reduced or cut-off, a stroke happens. Since blood carries oxygen to the brain, a reduced or interrupted blood supply means oxygen deprivation. Brain cells begin to die within minutes of a stroke. If not diagnosed early enough, chances of permanent brain damage and resulting complication increase. A stroke can affect any of the human abilities including sight, movement, hearing etc depending on which part of the brain gets oxygen deprived.

It is necessary to get immediate medical attention when one or more of the following symptoms are observed. If someone has trouble in walking, speaking or understanding, feels numbness on face arms or legs, has difficulty in seeing, or has a sudden and severe headache, it calls for emergency medical services. Note the time when you observe the symptoms, as it helps the doctors decide the treatment. A simple rule that can help determine if a person has stroke or not is “FAST”. F is for face, half the face will droop if a person with stroke tries to smile. A is for arms, one of the arms will drift downwards. S is for speech, speech will be slurred or strange if a person has stroke. T is for time, the time when the above symptoms are observed.

There are multiple reasons for a stroke. A cot may form in an artery that provides blood to the brain and reduce blood flow to the brain. A clot may form in the heart or somewhere else in the body and is carried to the brain through the bloodstream thus disrupting blood flow to the brain. A blood vessel may burst in the brain and blood spreads in the brain tissue, effectively damaging the brain cells the blood cells come in contact with. This may happen in high blood pressure, head trauma or use of blood thinning drugs. An artery near the brain surface may burst, thus spilling blood between the brain surface and skull. A temporary stroke may be experienced due to temporary reduction in blood supply to the brain.

Obesity increases the chance of having a stroke. Sedentary lifestyle may also cause a stroke. High blood pressure, smoking or being exposed to secondhand smoke, high cholesterol, diabetes or heart disease also increase the risk of stroke. A stroke can cause paralysis, memory loss, and emotional issues like depression or pain. Sometimes behavioral changes may occur.

Treatments differ according to the kind of stroke a person had faced. Treatments range from medicines that prevent blood clots to brain surgeries to remove clots. A stroke needs to be treated as soon as possible to reduce complications and increase the chances of survival. A stroke patient needs rehabilitation specially when parts of brain get damaged and have an impact on some part of the body.

Patients may require physical therapy, speech therapy, psychotherapy, a nurse to help them through the day or a dietician depending on the extent they are affected by the stroke. A coping mechanism is required as recovery from a stroke take a lot of time, especially if there are permanent damages to the brain. Preventive measures like a healthy lifestyle, increase physical activity, lowering amount of fat intake, avoiding smoking etc can keep the stroke.