Stroke is a serious health problem that can lead to death. Its devastating effects can be countered with health education. Thus, if we know the early signs and can act quickly. Symptoms differ in men and women.
Women can have different symptoms than men PHOTO The truth
Cerebrovascular accident (CVA) is one of the main causes of mortality worldwide. According to World Health Organization statistics, on Earth, one in four adults suffers a stroke during their lifetime. In Romania, the situation is even worse. Our country ranks first at the European level in terms of stroke mortality. More precisely, according to statistical data, four Romanians die every hour due to a stroke. Those who do not die from stroke are mostly left with serious sequelae and disability. Specialists say, however, that through health education we can anticipate or become aware that we have a stroke. Intervention in the four-hour window, i.e. the interval after the occurrence of the stroke, is vital for survival but also for a life without sequelae.
Deadly pathology where every minute counts
Cerebrovascular accident or stroke is a potentially fatal pathology. It is of two types, ischemic and hemorrhagic. The ischemic one usually involves blocking an artery leading to the brain with a blood clot. The blood supply to the affected area is cut off, and within minutes, without oxygen, the brain cells gradually die. Hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel ruptures in the brain. Specialists say that both situations are difficult to manage and very serious.
“Both are difficult to manage. Because the ischemic one involves a clot that obstructs a vessel that irrigates a territory. In the hemorrhagic one, it is the rupture of a vessel that later invades a territory and compresses other nerve centers. For surgeons and neurologists, both situations depending on their territory and volume are less or more difficult to address“, says Ramona Guraliuc, chief physician at the Emergency Department of the “Mavromati” County Hospital in Botoșani.
That is precisely why, say the doctors, the speed of reaction is extremely important, but above all the early detection of the stroke. “It is very important. The sooner the diagnosis is made and the earlier the treatment is instituted, the chances of survival, for any pathology that endangers our lives, are greater”adds Ramona Guraliuc.
The signs that can save our lives
Doctor Ramona Guraliuc says that there are some clear signs of a stroke. If we know them, we have the chance to save our own life or to help a person affected by this pathology. “There are some very clear signs. If we have a headache that does not respond to an anti-inflammatory or a motor deficit that suddenly appears on a day when we should have a normal activity and this thing surprises us in an unpleasant way. If we have a speech disorder, if we don’t tune the words correctly. Or if a person notices that a man lacks coherence in a sentence or a phrase, then it is a clear alarm sign”says Ramona Guraliuc.
At that moment the best thing to do is to call 112 immediately. This health education can help save many people who suffer a stroke without realizing it. The best example, says the Botošan doctor, is the case of Stella Popescu. “This thing also happened to a very big actor. We are talking about Stela Popescu. Everyone noticed that there was no coherence in the sentence. Basically, a stroke occurred, most likely ischemic, with an evolution towards existus, i.e. towards death“, adds the chief physician from the UPU.
Symptoms may differ by gender
Specialists say that the symptoms of stroke can differ depending on the gender of the person. For example, women show weakness, change in mental status, including disorientation, but also fever. In men, common signs are paraesthesia (tingling, numbness, itching or burning sensation), ataxia (impairment of coordination, balance, speech) and double vision. The occurrence of stroke can be favored by obesity, unhealthy diet and stress.
