Problems with memory and thinking (cognitive problems) are very common after a stroke. They are most common soon after a stroke and like many effects of stroke, the fastest recovery takes place in the days and weeks after a stroke. But recovery can continue for months or years.
Cognitive impairment and memory loss are common after a stroke. Approximately 30% of stroke patients develop dementia within 1 year of stroke onset. Stroke affects the cognitive domain, which includes attention, memory, language, and orientation.
How Does a Stroke Impact Life Expectancy? Despite the likelihood of making a full recovery, life expectancy after stroke incidents can decrease. Unfortunately, researchers have observed a wide range of life expectancy changes in stroke patients, but the average reduction in lifespan is nine and a half years.
Some brain cells die quickly but many linger in a compromised or weakened state for several hours. Stroke causes permanent brain damage over minutes to hours. With stroke, “time is brain,” meaning that the sooner treatment begins, the better.
Brain cells in that area become damaged and can no longer function. Depending on which part of the brain has been damaged, the skills lost after the stroke may include motor skills, speech or sensory perception.
Recovery time after a stroke is different for everyone—it can take weeks, months, or even years. Some people recover fully, but others have long-term or lifelong disabilities.
Strokes that block a brain artery usually cause a range of symptoms that may include vascular dementia. But some strokes don't cause any noticeable symptoms. These silent strokes still increase dementia risk.
In terms of stroke side effects, by the 5 year mark, many survivors may be able to walk again, with or without assistance. But issues like foot drop and poor hand function may linger for massive stroke survivors. Still, even two stroke survivors who both suffered massive strokes will have very different recoveries.
Even after surviving a stroke, you're not out of the woods, since having one makes it a lot more likely that you'll have another. In fact, of the 795,000 Americans who will have a first stroke this year, 23 percent will suffer a second stroke.
A hemorrhagic stroke happens when an artery in the brain leaks blood or ruptures (breaks open). The leaked blood puts too much pressure on brain cells, which damages them.
For example, 79% of people survive 2 years, 61% survive 3 years, …, 5% survive 16 years, and only 1% survive 20 years.
Heart attacks are more likely after a stroke, as they are linked to many of the same risk factors and health problems. Seizures after a stroke. These are also linked with a greater chance of death and more serious disability.
Personality changes after a stroke can include: Not feeling like doing anything. Being irritable or aggressive. Being disinhibited – saying or doing things that seem inappropriate to others.
After six months, improvements are possible but will be much slower. Most stroke patients reach a relatively steady state at this point. For some, this means a full recovery. Others will have ongoing impairments, also called chronic stroke disease.
After a stroke, you may have difficulty speaking. It may also be difficult to understand others when they speak or gesture to you. Reading and writing may be difficult. Your speech pathologist will work with you to develop a rehabilitation program.
Stroke seems to run in some families. Several factors may contribute to familial stroke. Members of a family might have a genetic tendency for stroke risk factors, such as an inherited predisposition for high blood pressure (hypertension) or diabetes.
The first question a stroke survivor should ask:
Of people who survive a first white stroke, within 1 year 8% will have another one (1), and within 2 years 11% will have a second one (2). In one study, 39% of second strokes were fatal (2).
Post-stroke fatigue is a common secondary effect of stroke and can play a major role in recovery, contributing to symptoms that seem to be worsening. This fatigue can include a decrease in both mental and physical energy levels, affecting the ability of a survivor to participate in daily or rehab activities.
On average, between 10 and 15 years after stroke, 25% of survivors were moderately-severely disabled, 21% were inactive, 22% had cognitive impairments, 32% were anxious and 38% depressed. Functional, cognitive and psychological outcomes between 10 and 15 years after stroke.
The Mini-Cog test.
A third test, known as the Mini-Cog, takes 2 to 4 minutes to administer and involves asking patients to recall three words after drawing a picture of a clock. If a patient shows no difficulties recalling the words, it is inferred that he or she does not have dementia.
Administration: The examiner reads a list of 5 words at a rate of one per second, giving the following instructions: “This is a memory test. I am going to read a list of words that you will have to remember now and later on. Listen carefully. When I am through, tell me as many words as you can remember.
Cognitive problems are usually worst during the first few months after a stroke, but they can and do get better. They're likely to improve most quickly over the first three months, as this is when your brain is at its most active, trying to repair itself.