Today, October 29, is World Stroke Day, a pathology of which about 120,000 new cases are detected each year, according to the Study Group on Cerebrovascular Diseases of the Spanish Society of Neurology (GEECV-SEN). Stroke is a cerebrovascular disease that is increasingly on the rise in developed countries.
We have the collaboration of Dr. Eugenio Lecanda, specialist in Neurology, to shed some light on the subject and advise us on how to act in a situation in which a person suffers a stroke.
To begin this interview, Dr. Lecanda, I would like you to explain what a stroke is.
Stroke is a pathological event that occurs in the brain and is caused by vascular processes. Basically, they are circulatory problems of the cerebral arteries, which entail a varied symptomatology depending on the area of the brain that has been damaged by this acute vascular process.
Are there different types of stroke?
The different types of stroke depend on the etiology or cause of the stroke, which is varied.
The most frequent causes are:
- The closure of a cerebral artery produced by a thrombus: this closure of the artery generates a cerebral infarction, since the affected area of the brain is left without circulatory supply.
- An embolism that generates an infarct: unlike thrombosis, which is generated in the same place where the artery is, the embolism is usually produced in the atrium of the heart, which then rises through the cerebral arteries to a small artery of the brain, closing it and causing an infarct. Within embolisms, apart from occurring in the atria, they can occur in the arteries of the legs, which then go up to the brain.
- A cerebral hemorrhage: when a cerebral artery ruptures, a cerebral hemorrhage is generated, which goes out to the brain tissue or brain parenchyma and produces a cerebral hemorrhage or hematoma.
“If you suspect that a person loses consciousness or has motor, sensory, speech or memory symptoms, call the emergency services immediately”.
How to act in a situation in which a person suffers a stroke and what not to do?
Strokes can be mild or severe and can be transient in symptoms (lasting 24 hours or 3 hours), but can also lead to death, depending on the severity.
When a person has symptomatology such as:
- Loss of strength in one leg, which makes him or her limp
- Difficulty speaking
- Loss of sensation in the arm
- Getting up and not having stability
- Loss of memory
These symptoms immediately lead to think that a person is suffering a stroke, what you have to do is to go to the emergency room immediately. Even if it is a transitory and mild situation, it is always necessary to go to the emergency room. Call an ambulance to take the person to a medical center.
One tip that may help is to lie the patient down and raise the legs to allow blood to circulate to the brain. This may help if the person has lost consciousness.
In case you doubt the person’s symptoms and do not know if he/she is suffering a stroke or cardiac arrest, you should check the heartbeat. This is easily seen by placing your fingers on the neck, on the carotid arteries, or you can also listen if the heart beats. In the case of cardiac arrest, the resuscitation maneuver must be performed.
Among the actions that are not recommended if a person is suffering a stroke, the most important thing is not to lose calm, since this can affect the person suffering the stroke and aggravate his condition, causing vasoconstriction due to the stress of the surrounding environment.
Is it true that stroke cases are increasing in the population?
This is true. A striking fact is that in third world countries, such as Africa, the statistics of cerebral infarctions are much lower than in developed countries. Why is this happening? Nowadays our society is governed by speed and everyone is aware of a thousand things. All this generates a situation of stress in people that produces a continuous secretion of adrenaline and cortisol, which generates a symptomatology in the arteries. Evidently, the number of cerebral infarctions is increasing due to different risk factors. The main ones are:
- The stress in which we live in western society.
- In spite of efforts to prevent smoking, people are smoking a lot and this is a very important risk factor for strokes.
- Arterial hypertension is sometimes closely related to stressful situations, although not always.
- Obesity is a very important risk factor for stroke.
These and other factors are causing strokes to increase in frequency.
Could you comment briefly on what should be taken into account to prevent a stroke?
Strokes, like all neurological pathologies, require prevention. Prevention basically consists of taking care of:
- Blood pressure
- Cholesterol
- The occurrence of diabetic hyperglycemia.
- Diet
- Obesity
- Physical exercise: For people over 60 years of age, a daily walk of one hour is recommended.