Cerebrovascular Accident
or Stroke

There are three main types of stroke: transient ischaemic attack, ischaemic, and haemorrhagic.

Transient ischemic attack

Doctors also call a transient ischemic attack (TIA) a warning or ministroke. A clot that temporarily blocks blood flow to your brain causes a TIA. The blood clot and TIA symptoms last for a short period of time.

Ischemic stroke

An ischemic stroke occurs when a blood clot keeps blood from flowing to your brain. The blood clot is often due to Atherosclerosis, which is a build up of fatty deposits on the inner lining of a blood vessel. A portion of these fatty deposits can break off and block blood flow in your brain. The concept is similar to that of a heart attack, where a blood clot blocks blood flow to a portion of your heart.

An ischemic stroke can be embolic, meaning the blood clot travels from another part of your body to your brain. A number of ischemic strokes are due to a condition called atrial-fibrillation, where your heart beats irregularly.

A thrombotic stroke is an ischemic stroke caused by a clot forming in a blood vessel in your brain.

Unlike a TIA, the blood clot that causes an ischemic stroke won’t go away without treatment.

Haemorrhagic stroke

A haemorrhagic stroke results when a blood vessel in your brain ruptures or breaks, spilling blood into the surrounding tissues.

There are two types of haemorrhagic strokes: The first is an Aneurysm, which causes a portion of the weakened blood vessel to balloon outward and sometimes rupture. The other is an arteriovenous-malformations which involves abnormally formed blood vessels. If such a blood vessel ruptures, it can cause a haemorrhagic stroke.

The different stroke types cause similar symptoms because each affects blood flow in your brain. The only way to determine what type of stroke you may be having is to seek medical attention. A doctor will order imaging tests to view your brain.

The Stroke foundation recommends the FAST method to help identify the warning signs of a stroke:

• Face: When you smile, does one side of your face droop?
• Arms: When you raise both arms, does one arm drift down?
• Speech: Is your speech slurred? Are you having trouble talking?
• Time: If you experience any of these symptoms, call 111 immediately.

A stroke is a medical emergency for a reason — it can have life-threatening consequences. The brain controls the primary functions of human life; without blood flow, your brain can’t manage breathing, blood pressure, and much more. Complications can vary according to the stroke type and if you can successfully receive treatment. Examples of complications include:

• Behaviour changes: Having a stroke can contribute to depression or anxiety. You may also experience changes in your behaviour, such as being more impulsive or withdrawn from socializing with others.
• Speech difficulties: A stroke can impact areas of your brain, affecting speech and swallowing. As a result, you may have difficulty reading, writing, or understanding other people when they’re speaking.
• Numbness or pain: A stroke can cause numbness and decreased sensation in parts of your body and can be painful. An injury to the brain can also affect your ability to sense temperature. This condition is known as central stroke pain and can be challenging to treat.
• Paralysis: Because of how your brain works to direct movement, a stroke in the right side of your brain can affect movement on the left side of your body and vice-versa. Those who’ve had a stroke may not be able to use facial muscles or move an arm on one side.

The three types of strokes are treated differently. Learn below how each stroke is treated. 

TIA

Treatments for TIA include taking medicines that will help prevent future strokes. These medicines include anticoagulant-and-antiplatelet-drugs.

Antiplatelet reduce the likelihood that components of your blood called platelets will stick together and cause a clot.

Anticoagulants are medicines that reduce the build-up of clotting proteins.

A doctor may also recommend a surgery called a carotid endarterectomy which removes plaque build-up in the carotid artery of your neck, which is a significant cause of stroke.

Ischemic stroke

The ischemic stroke treatments you receive depend on how quickly you get to a hospital and on your personal medical history.

If you seek treatment within three hours for this type of stroke, your doctor may be able to give you a medicine known as tissue plasminogen activator (TPA). This medicine, delivered through an IV, can dissolve the clot. However, not all people can receive TPA due to bleeding risks. Your doctor should carefully consider your medical history before administering TPA.

Doctors can use procedures to physically remove the clot or deliver clot-busting medications to your brain. These treatments aren’t always beneficial, as your medical history may put you at risk for specific side effects.

Haemorrhagic stroke

Haemorrhagic stroke treatments involve trying to stop bleeding in your brain and reduce the side effects associated with brain bleeding. Side effects may include increased intracranial pressure. Surgical procedures include clipping or coiling and are designed to keep the blood vessel from bleeding further.

You may be given medications to reduce intracranial pressure. You may also need blood transfusions to increase the amount of blood-clotting materials in your blood to try to stop bleeding.

You can adopt many lifestyle changes to reduce your risks for ever having a stroke or a reoccurrence. 

Examples include:

• increasing physical activity
• eating a healthy diet to maintain a normal weight for your height and build
• reducing binge drinking and limiting drinks to no more than one per day for women and one to two per day for men
• taking medications as prescribed to reduce blood pressure and encourage blood glucose control
• wearing a continuous positive airway pressure mask if you have sleep apnea to reduce the demands on your heart