It's called a "stroke" because of the sudden, dramatic way it strikes, akin to a violent blow or a "strike of God's hand," a concept dating back to ancient times when it was known as apoplexy, a Greek term meaning "to be struck down". This reflects the abrupt interruption of blood flow to the brain, causing brain cells to die quickly, much like being suddenly struck down by illness.
Through The Years. Hippocrates, the “father of medicine,” first recognized stroke, calling the condition apoplexy, which is a Greek term meaning “struck down by violence.”
Warning Signs of Stroke
Healthcare providers sometimes refer to strokes as cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs) or brain attacks. Strokes are the second leading cause of death worldwide and the fifth most common in the U.S. If you think you or someone you're with is having a stroke, immediately call 911 or your local emergency services number.
A stroke is when blood stops flowing to a part of your brain. It can affect things like speech and movement, and take a long time to recover. A stroke needs urgent medical help in hospital because it can be life-threatening.
Stroke death declines have stalled in 3 out of every 4 states. 80% of strokes are preventable. Strokes are common and preventable. Stroke is the 5th leading cause of death and a leading cause of serious, long-term disability, with an estimated cost of $34 billion annually.
Apoplexy. The first recorded use of 'stroke' as a lay term was in 1599, attributing the sudden onset of symptoms to a 'stroke of God's hande'. It was not adopted into the medical lexicon of the time and physicians used the term 'apoplexy', a diagnosis that had been in existence since the Hippocratic writings.
Other signs and symptoms may include:
There are two main types of stroke based on what caused the stroke, but there are other classifications, too. The five types of stroke you're most likely to hear about are ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, transient ischemic attack (also called TIA or mini-stroke), cryptogenic stroke, and brainstem stroke.
The sudden loss of brain function most commonly called a stroke is also known by several other names: apoplexy, cerebrovascular accident, cerebral accident, and cerebral infarction.
Warning signs of an ischemic stroke may be evident as early as seven days before an attack and require urgent treatment to prevent serious damage to the brain, according to a study of stroke patients published in the March 8, 2005 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
High blood pressure is the leading risk factor for stroke and a number of heart conditions.
Even without obvious symptoms, silent strokes raise the risk of future strokes and can lead to cognitive decline or vascular dementia. Key warning signs include sudden mood changes, memory issues, balance problems, and cognitive difficulties — but only MRI or CT scans can confirm a silent stroke.
Because the cause of a stroke and the amount of damage it causes in the brain vary widely, there's no “typical” duration of a stroke. Some strokes last for a few minutes while others continue for hours or even days.
The Five Ps of Acute Ischemic Stroke Treatment: Parenchyma, Pipes, Perfusion, Penumbra, and Prevention of Complications - PMC.
A transient ischemic attack (TIA) is a short period of symptoms similar to those of a stroke. It's caused by a brief blockage of blood flow to the brain. A TIA usually lasts only a few minutes and doesn't cause long-term damage.
Blood tests for stroke. There is no blood test that can diagnose a stroke. However, in the hospital, your doctor or nurse may do a series of blood tests to learn the cause of your stroke symptoms: Complete blood count (CBC).
The signs and symptoms of a stroke often occur quickly. However, they can develop over hours or even days. This sometimes happens when a transient ischemic attack (TIA) — a blockage that breaks up before it damages your brain — turns into a stroke.
Check for signs of a stroke
They may include: face weakness – one side of your face may droop (fall) and it might be hard to smile. arm weakness – you may not be able to fully lift both arms and keep them there because of weakness or numbness in 1 arm. speech problems – you may slur your words or sound confused.
The good news is that many strokes may be prevented through blood pressure control, a healthy diet, regular physical activity and smoking cessation. Each plays a big part in decreasing your risk for stroke, disability or even death.
tPA (tissue plasminogen activator)
It can stop a stroke by breaking up the blood clot. It must be given as soon as possible and within 4½ hours after stroke symptoms start. * Receiving tPA can reduce the severity of a stroke and reverse some of the effects, helping you recover more quickly.
About 85% of strokes are ischemic strokes, caused by a blockage (blood clot or plaque buildup) cutting off blood flow to the brain, with the most common drivers being high blood pressure, high cholesterol (atherosclerosis), atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat), and diabetes. These blockages can form locally (thrombotic) or travel from elsewhere (embolic).
The signs of a stroke often appear suddenly, but that doesn't mean that you won't have time to act. Some people will experience symptoms such as headache, numbness or tingling several days before they have a serious stroke.
Stage One – Flaccidity
Nerve damage in the brain means that there are no voluntary movements. The best way to help at this stage is to assist with passive movement, the stroke victim themself is likely to be able to use the mobile side of their body to passively move the flaccid side, it's important to encourage this.