What is cerebrovascular disease?
The word cerebrovascular is made up of two parts, where ‘cerebro’ refers to most of the brain and ‘vascular’ refers to the arteries and veins. The term cerebrovascular disease refers to a group of conditions that can lead to a cerebrovascular event, such as a stroke or mini-stroke, ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). These events affect the blood vessels and blood supply to the brain.
What causes cerebrovascular disease?
There are several causes of cerebrovascular disease, including atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is a condition in which high cholesterol and arterial inflammation in the brain cause cholesterol to build up in a thick plaque that blocks blood flow to the brain. This is what causes an ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack. Atherosclerosis can also cause blood clots in an already narrowed artery, causing a thrombotic stroke. A clot can also break away from the rest of the body and travel to the brain, blocking a small artery, known as an embolism.
It can be difficult to detect cerebrovascular disease before an attack occurs, but risk factors can also play a major role in causing it, such as hypertension, smoking, obesity, ischemic heart disease, and uncontrolled diabetes.
It can be difficult to detect cerebrovascular disease before an attack occurs.
What are the symptoms of cerebrovascular disease?
The signs and symptoms of cerebrovascular disease depend on where the blockage or damage occurs. The most common symptoms include:
- Severe headache
- Dizziness, nausea or vomiting
- Facial paralysis on one side
- Weakness on one side
- Confusion and mental disorientation
- Slurred speech
- Loss of middle vision
- Lack of balance
- Fainting
How is it diagnosed?
Any cerebrovascular event is an emergency and 112 should be contacted. At the hospital, the patient will undergo a physical evaluation and their medical history will also be assessed. A physical examination checks for neurological, motor and sensory deficits such as a change in vision, reflexes and muscle weakness. A cerebral angiogram, vertebral angiogram or carotid angiogram, in which a contrast dye is injected into the arteries to reveal any clots, may be used. A CT scan will help diagnose and detect hemorrhagic strokes and an MRI will detect strokes. An electrocardiogram can detect cardiac arrhythmia, which is a risk factor for embolic strokes.
Can cerebrovascular disease be prevented?
There are health behaviors that help reduce the risk of stroke, these are:
- Smoking cessation
- A healthy diet
- Controlling high blood pressure
- Lowering blood cholesterol
- Exercising
- Losing weight in case you are overweight
- Regular visits to the doctor for check-ups
- Reducing stress levels
- Reducing alcohol consumption
How is it treated?
Treatment of cerebrovascular disease depends on the type of disease the patient has. In general, treatment focuses on improving blood flow to the brain. Most cases are treated with blood pressure medications, blood thinners, and cholesterol medications.