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People who have a stroke can lose important brain functions. Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability in the world, warns Consultant Neurophysician Dr Aashka Ponda.
In February 2024, stock trading firm Zerodha's CEO Nitin Kamath revealed he had suffered a mild stroke.
'Around 6 weeks ago, I had a mild stroke out of the blue.
'Dad passing away, poor sleep, exhaustion, dehydration and overworking out -- any of these could be possible reasons,' Kamath revealed in a post on X.
He was fortunate to be treated on time. In many cases of stroke and heart-related ailments, however, poor diagnosis and prevention delays the treatment, leading to sudden death in patients.
What is a stroke?
Stroke is the term doctors use when a part of the brain is damaged because of a problem with blood flow.
However, there are different types of strokes and they need to be treated differently.
When the artery going to the brain gets clogged or closes off and a part of the brain goes without blood for too long, it is called an ischemic stroke.
The artery breaks open and starts bleeding into or around the brain; this is a haemorrhagic stroke.
Can stroke cause death?
The effects of a stroke depend on many factors, including:
People who get a stroke can lose important brain functions. For example, in some cases the patient may become partly paralysed or lose the ability to speak.
In fact, strokes are one of the leading causes of death and disability in the world.
What are the symptoms of a stroke? Can it be prevented?
The symptoms of a stroke usually start suddenly.
One way to help remember stroke symptoms is to think of the words 'BE FAST'. Each letter stands for a symptom that you should watch for and what you need to do:
What to do when you have a stroke
The right treatment depends on what kind of stroke you are having.
The most important thing you can do is to get to the hospital as quickly as you can to have an expert figure this out.
At the hospital, the doctors will do a variety of tests, including imaging tests such as a CT scan or MRI, which create pictures of the brain. Other imaging tests are used to look at the blood vessels or heart.
People whose strokes are caused by clogged arteries are treated with procedures that help reopen the arteries. These treatments can only be given for a limited period of time after the onset of the stroke.
Patients will be given medicines to prevent new blood clots. These medicines also help prevent future strokes.
If a stroke is caused by bleeding, the patient will be treated with procedures that might reduce the damage caused by bleeding in or around the brain.
Experts may recommend you that you stop taking medicines that increase bleeding or take a lower dose.
Patients with incidents of bleeding will require immediate surgery or a procedure to treat the blood vessel to prevent more bleeding (this, however, is not always possible).
Can strokes be prevented?
Many strokes can be prevented, though not always.
You can greatly lower your chance of having a stroke by following these tips:
Who is at risk for having a stroke?
Certain things affect a person's risk of stroke. These are called 'risk factors'.
Some of these things are not under your control. For example, you are at increased risk if:
Certain health problems and behaviours also increase your risk of stroke. These include:
If you have any of the above risk factors for a stroke, it's important that you take immediate steps to correct your lifestyle so you can try and lower your risk.
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