Brain stroke specialist doctor in Hyderabad, Dr. Vikram Sharma explains why one must beware of stroke.
Most of us today are aware of the harmful effects of our bad habits – eating unhealthy foods, sedentary lifestyle, smoking, sleeping late, waking up late, eating junk foods, consuming soft drinks, caffeinated drinks and other aerated beverages – still we continue to lead our lives without paying any heed. We pay attention to our health only when something goes wrong – for instance when we experience some unusual symptoms – such as heartburn, indigestion, weakness, breathing difficulty, fatigue, and so on. But there are some health conditions that strike suddenly without giving any warning signs. Stroke is one such condition. It comes suddenly without giving any warning signs. Then the big question here is that, is there any possibility to know the potential risk factors and the warning signs of stroke – yes, it is; read further to know more.
Health Conditions that can Make a Person Prone to Stroke
Brain uninterruptedly gets a healthy blood supply from the arteries, but the health of our arteries deteriorates progressively over a period of time due to unhealthy lifestyle and lifestyle related factors. High cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, excessive alcohol intake, excessive sweat and fatty foods intake, lack of exercise and sleep lead to plaques (fatty deposits) formation. The problem further gets aggravated by careless attitude and ignorance of warning signs. Eventually plaque formation leads to clogging of arteries and interruption of blood supply to the brain. The interruption in blood supply suddenly leads to full-blown ischemic stroke – which in some cases may be life-threatening. Apart from this, the other risk factors like high blood pressure, stress and emotional turmoil and sedentary lifestyle can cause haemorrhagic (blood vessels burst) stroke – which is again quite devastating. This type of stroke is due to bleeding in the brain.
The Common Types of Stroke
The most common type of stroke is ischemic stroke – formation of blood clots or plaques inside the blood vessels causes this type of stroke. In the haemorrhagic type of stroke blood vessels burst. Temporary interruption in the blood supply to the brain may also cause stroke – which is short one and may last for around 30 minutes or more. This type of stroke is known as Trans Ischemic Attacks (TIA). Whether a person gets a TIA or full-blown stroke – it is a medical emergency – needs to be addressed immediately and quite diligently. Therefore, one must immediately consult a brain stroke specialist doctor in Hyderabad.
TIAs should never be ignored as they may become future full-blown strokes.
The Risk Factors of Stroke – which are common to both Men and Women include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high triglycerides levels, overweight or obesity, stress, diabetes, heart disease, alcohol abuse, sedentary lifestyle, smoking and drug abuse.
Women are more susceptible to stroke than man as they are predisposed to hypertension, mood swings, depression, hyperactivity, anxiety and obesity. Furthermore, diabetes, gestational diabetes, hormonal changes, menstrual issues, usage of birth control pills may also increase the risk of stroke in women.
The warning signs of stroke
Sudden severe headache, confusion, dizziness, trouble seeing, blurred vision, speech disturbances – slurred speech, uneven smile, trouble understanding or speaking, drooping face, loss of balance, dizziness, sudden weakness or numbness in one side of the body or one arm or one leg or face; trouble walking and coordinating are the typical warning signs of stroke.
The prominent factors that increase the risk of stroke in women include recurrent migraines associated with neurological symptoms like auras that increase the sensitivity to sounds, lights, and smells; mental health conditions; usage of birth control pills, menopause and hormone replacement therapy.
This information is important if you are a woman: The symptoms of stroke that are unique to women include nausea, vomiting, fainting, weakness, fatigue, hiccups, body pains, agitation, seizures, hallucinations, shortness of breath, behavioural changes and agitation. If you know these symptoms of stroke, then you can take prompt action by taking instant medical help and save your life or the life of someone you love.
Remember! Stroke is a medical emergency, prior to making yourself too involve in spotting the peculiar signs and symptoms of stroke in either men or women, you must act swiftly to save the life and therefore always think of “FAST”.
Dr. Vikram Sharma
Brain Stroke Specialist Doctor in Hyderabad
