Stroke: Know yourself and your enemy, and prevent it before it happens

Author: Sun Qingli, deputy chief physician, Peking University Third Hospital

Reviewer: Chen Lu, deputy chief physician, Peking University Third Hospital

Stroke, also known as stroke, is a disease that seriously threatens human health. Stroke has the characteristics of high morbidity, high disability rate, high mortality rate, and high recurrence rate. However, the prevention and treatment of stroke is not without its own methods. To deal with this health "killer", we must know ourselves and the enemy and take precautions before it happens!

1. What is a stroke?

Stroke generally refers to an acute onset of neurological dysfunction caused by cerebral vascular disease, also known as "stroke", which is more common in the elderly.

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Stroke is generally divided into ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke.

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Ischemic stroke is caused by blood vessel obstruction, which leads to loss of blood supply to the brain. Brain cells die due to ischemia and hypoxia, resulting in corresponding clinical symptoms, such as weakness on one side of the limbs, crooked mouth and slurred speech. The most common ischemic stroke is cerebral infarction.

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Hemorrhagic stroke includes cerebral hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhage, which is bleeding in the brain parenchyma, ventricles or subarachnoid space caused by rupture of cerebral blood vessels.

Stroke is extremely harmful and is the second leading cause of death in the world. It has the characteristics of high morbidity, high disability rate, high recurrence rate and high mortality rate. Therefore, it is very important to do a good job in stroke prevention. Common risk factors for stroke include high blood pressure, smoking, lack of exercise, hyperlipidemia, poor eating habits, obesity, heart disease, excessive drinking and diabetes. People should actively prevent stroke in their daily lives and seek medical attention immediately if a stroke occurs.

2.What are the clinical symptoms of stroke?

The brain is the most sophisticated organ in the human body. Different brain regions or parts control different neural functions, such as limb movements, language, and the sensation of cold and heat of the body.

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Whatever part of the brain tissue is destroyed by cerebral hemorrhage or cerebral infarction, it will cause neurological deficits in the corresponding part, such as limb movement disorder, language disorder or swallowing difficulty. Common symptoms of stroke: ① dizziness, especially sudden dizziness; ② limb numbness, sudden numbness of one side of the face or hands and feet, sometimes tongue or lips; ③ temporary slurred speech or difficulty in speaking; ④ limb weakness or movement; ⑤ headache that is different from usual; ⑥ sudden fall or fainting for unknown reasons; ⑦ short-term loss of consciousness or sudden changes in personality and intelligence; ⑧ obvious fatigue of the whole body, limb weakness; ⑨ nausea, vomiting or blood pressure fluctuations; ⑩ being in a state of drowsiness all day; ⑪ involuntary twitching of one side or a limb; ⑫ both eyes suddenly cannot see clearly what is in front of them. If the above symptoms occur, the patient should be alert to whether a stroke has occurred. At this time, medical treatment should be sought in time and treatment should be given in time.

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3.Who is prone to stroke?

The elderly are at risk of stroke. Long-term bad living habits, such as smoking, lack of exercise and excessive drinking, can easily lead to stroke.

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The most common cause of ischemic stroke is atherosclerosis, which refers to the occurrence of luminal stenosis, occlusion or thrombosis on the basis of vascular wall lesions.

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Hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, etc. are the main risk factors, which can lead to atherosclerotic cerebral infarction. Therefore, patients with hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes are prone to stroke, and patients with poor long-term blood pressure control and large blood pressure fluctuations are more likely to suffer from stroke. Long-term high blood pressure often leads to small vessel lesions, which are prone to cause lacunar cerebral infarction clinically. Cardiogenic factors such as atrial fibrillation and cardiac mural thrombosis can also cause stroke, often caused by thrombus detachment leading to cerebral embolism. Patent foramen ovale is one of the causes of stroke in young people. There are also some rare causes, such as arterial dissection, congenital vascular malformations and abnormal blood components, which are often not easy to be discovered before the onset of the disease. There are also some stroke patients whose causes are unknown.

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Long-term high blood pressure or poor control can easily lead to cerebral hemorrhage, especially when emotionally agitated, doing strenuous exercise or in cold seasons. Other causes of cerebral hemorrhage include cerebral artery malformations, aneurysms, blood diseases, cerebral amyloid angiopathy, arteritis and taking anticoagulants, which are often difficult to detect before the onset of the disease. Actively removing the cause is the key to treating and preventing stroke.

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Let us work together, know ourselves and our enemies, take precautions before it happens, and jointly resist the threat of stroke!