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Health and well-being
Strokes
Discover what causes strokes and what you can do to reduce the risks of having a stroke, what to do if you suffer from either a mini-stroke or a full stroke, and where to get help and advice.
What is a stroke?
A stroke occurs when the blood flow to your brain is interrupted, causing brain cells to die through lack of oxygen. The two main types are:
- ischaemic stroke - responsible for 80 per cent of strokes, this occurs when a blood vessel to the brain becomes blocked by a clot
- haemorrhagic stroke, ie brain haemorrhage - more likely if you have high blood pressure, it is caused by a blood vessel bursting causing blood to leak into the brain
Discovering if you are at risk
You are at greater risk if you are:
- older
- male
- someone whose immediate family has had a stroke
- Asian, African or African-Caribbean
You are at risk if you suffer, or have suffered, from:
- high blood pressure
- diabetes
- heart disease - congenital, an enlarged heart or heart-valve disease
- an irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation)
- a blood disease
- sickle cell anaemia
- a mini-stroke
You may be at risk if you:
- smoke
- drink excessive levels of alcohol
- eat a lot of saturated animal fats, like cream, cheese, puddings and rich sauces
- do less than 30 minutes of exercise five times a week
- take illegal drugs like cocaine or heroin - even if you took them years ago
It is less common for young people to have a stroke, however, if you have diabetes, are overweight, have high blood pressure and raised cholesterol combined you will be at acute risk of a stroke.
Helping prevent a stroke
You can lower your risk of having a stroke by:
- eating at least five varied portions of fruit and vegetables a day
- lowering your salt intake
- taking regular exercise
- not drinking more than the daily recommended amount of alcohol
- quitting smoking
- taking a daily aspirin if you have diabetes
- having your blood pressure checked regularly
It is important to check with your GP any medication you may need. For example, if needed, it may be appropriate if your GP prescribes you:
- blood pressure-lowering medication or other prescribed medications
- anticoagulant (blood-thinning) treatment if you have atrial fibrillation
Checking out a mini-stroke
If you have a mini-stroke, or transient ischaemic attack, it is important to have it checked out. Although they are temporary - sometimes lasting for just a few minutes with symptoms resolving within 24 hours - they are often a warning sign that you may experience a full-blown stroke. However, there are treatments to prevent that happening.
See your GP as soon as possible and ask to be referred to a specialist stroke service - this should happen within seven days.
Symptoms of a stroke
The most common symptoms to look out for are blurred vision, slurred speech or muscle weakness when you otherwise felt well.
A full-blown stroke is always sudden and could include:
- numbness or weakness in your face, arm, hand or leg on just one side of your body
- confusion or difficulty speaking or understanding what someone is saying
- dimness, blurring or loss of vision in one or both eyes
- trouble walking and dizziness
- loss of balance or co-ordination
- severe headache, sudden vomiting or unconsciousness
The Stroke Association's Face-Arm-Speech Test (FAST) may be able to help you if you are unsure whether someone has had a stroke or not.
If you or someone has a stroke
A stroke is a medical emergency and you should act immediately as early treatment is vital:
- dial 999
- go to a hospital casualty department
The effects of a stroke
A stroke can result in death or more often it can leave sufferers with a disability causing them difficulties in talking, walking and performing other basic tasks. A quick response can enable treatments to be used that can reduce the effects of the stroke.
Getting treatment
A computerised tomography (CT) scan should be carried out within 24 hours of admission to determine whether the stroke is ischaemic or haemorrhagic.
- ischaemic stroke - you may be given blood-thinning or clot-busting drugs and/or a carotid endarterectomy operation; in severe cases, you may have emergency surgery or medicines for brain swelling
- haemorrhagic stroke - there are fewer treatments but if it's associated with high blood pressure you will be given appropriate medicines for this
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