ABC Medical Center > Diseases > Stroke

What is stroke?

4 May 2021

Also known as a cerebrovascular accident or cerebral infarction, a stroke occurs when blood partially or totally stops reaching a specific area of the brain, preventing oxygenation and causing the death of neurons. Due to this, it is of the utmost importance to act quickly and receive care as soon as possible, in this way, brain damage is reduced.

There are two types of strokes: 

  • Ischemic stroke: it is the most frequent and occurs when there is a partial or total blockage of the blood vessels due to clots or fatty matter formations.
  • Hemorrhagic stroke: occurs when one of the cerebral blood vessels breaks or has a leak, the main causes being hypertension, blows to the head, aneurysm, and prolonged treatment with anticoagulants.

Potential risks:

  • Sedentary lifestyle.
  • Obesity.
  • Alcoholism, smoking, and drug addiction.
  • High blood pressure.
  • High cholesterol and triglycerides.
  • Diabetes.
  • Cardiovascular diseases.
  • Sleep apnea.
  • Having family members who have had a stroke. 

Signs and symptoms Stroke

Special care must be taken to identify the symptoms of a stroke in order to act immediately and minimize the possible consequences of this condition.

The most frequent signs are:

  • Confusion, speech and understanding problems.
  • Weakness, numbness, or tingling in the face, arms, or legs. 
  • Visual impairment in which you can lose vision in one or both eyes, which can manifest as double vision, lack of focus, or shadowing. 
  • Acute sudden migraine, along with nausea, vomiting, and dizziness. 
  • Lack of balance and coordination and walking difficulties.

Diagnosis and treatment Stroke

Upon arrival at the Emergency Room, the multidisciplinary team will perform imaging studies such as computed tomography, MRI, and ultrasound to determine the type of stroke you are suffering and establish the ideal treatment for you.

The treatment goal for an ischemic stroke is to unclog the affected blood vessels allowing a normal blood flow. To achieve this, intravenous medications are usually used to break up the clot or perform an endovascular procedure to directly unclog the affected blood vessel.

As for hemorrhagic stroke, the treatment purpose is to stop the bleeding and reduce the brain pressure it causes. You may be given pressure-reducing drugs and antispasmodics, but if the bleeding area is large, surgery will be needed to extract the blood and release intracranial pressure. Currently there are minimally invasive surgical techniques that facilitate this procedure.

At the Neurological Center, a select group of highly professional and certified doctors in the various neurological specialties are ready to assist you with the quality and warmth that characterizes us.

Our mission is to provide you with comprehensive and multidisciplinary care programs for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of nervous system diseases, always focusing our activities on your safety.

Nervous system specialties

  • Neurology
  • Neurosurgery
  • Spine surgery
  • Pediatric neurosurgery
  • Neurophysiology
  • Neuro-rehabilitation
  • Neuro-pathology
  • Interventional neuro-radiology
  • Neuropsychology
  • Neuro-oncology
  • Neuro-otology
  • Epilepsy
  • Neuro-ophthalmology
  • Neuroimaging

Related centers and departments Stroke

Neurology Center
High Specialty Surgery Center
Radiology and Molecular Imaging
Clinical Laboratory

Fuentes:

  • neurorgs.net
  • mayoclinic.org
  • medlineplus.gov
  • topdoctors.es
  • msdmanuals.com
  • medigraphic.com
  • Mendieta PMD, Budet BD, González LI. Señales asociadas a la muerte en la enfermedad cerebrovascular isquémica. Revista de Ciencias Médicas de la Habana. 2019;26(2):196-206.
  • Mesa BY, Hernández RTE, Parada BY. Factores determinantes de la calidad de vida en pacientes sobrevivientes a un ictus. Revista Habanera de Ciencias Médicas. 2017;16(5):735-750.
  • Palazón-Cabanes B, Gómez-Jara B, Martínez-Lerma EJ, et al. Análisis de factores de riesgo cardiovascular: indicadores de calidad intrahospitalaria en ictus isquémico agudo. Aten Fam. 2017;24(4):150-155.
  • Vargas FD, Miranda JL, Fernández CL, et al. Factores de riesgo y etiologías del infarto cerebral en pacientes entre 20 y 55 años. Rev Cubana Invest Bioméd. 2016;35(4):341-353.

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