Stroke is a violation of the blood circulation of the brain, which is characterized by the death of nerve cells. Annually, a stroke causes 10-12% of all deaths per year and is one of the common causes of disability. A recent study found that close patients are responsible for most deaths.
How are close people of the patient related to the outcome of the stroke?
Most strokes occur in the patient’s house, where close family members are located who are required to prevent an ambulance. Unfortunately, the patient and his relatives often agree to wait and see how the symptoms develop.
Many patients miss the “window of opportunity” in which effective lysis therapy is possible. If a stroke occurs at work or in the presence of distant acquaintances or strangers, an emergency call is faster.
Researchers speak of a “stroke paradox,” similar to a heart attack.
Neurologist Amar Dhand from the Boston Women's Hospital examined this phenomenon by interviewing 175 stroke patients.
Patients who arrived too late at the clinic often communicated with family or close friends before. “Let's see how things work out” and “it is better if you go to the family doctor tomorrow” - arguments that often appeared from the side of close people. Due to ignorance and negligence of loved ones, patients received multiple complications.
According to scientists, primary care physicians should be aware that those patients who are most socially protected are at greatest risk of death.
When should relatives "sound the alarm"?
When a stroke occurs, disorders of brain function are observed. They are very different depending on which part of the brain suffers from a lack of oxygen.
Often the symptoms are one-sided. It all depends on whether there was a stroke in the left hemisphere, which affects the right side of the body or vice versa.
Typical symptoms of a stroke
- bilateral paralysis, weakness, or discomfort in the face, arm, or leg;
- problems with speech;
- blurred vision;
- dizziness, vomiting, nausea;
- imbalance;
- sudden severe headache (indicates bleeding in the brain).
What complications are possible with untimely treatment?
Stroke is a serious illness that requires urgent treatment. Some patients have more extensive lesions or a course accompanied by complications. Sometimes patients do not overcome the acute phase of the disease and die during the first weeks.
For others, when the acute phase is over, improvement comes - a fact that gives reason for hope. When a stroke occurs, some brain cells undergo reversible damage, while others die. Cells that do not die can resume their work.
In the acute phases of a stroke, swelling occurs around the affected areas of the brain. When puffiness decreases, the functioning of healthy areas of the brain is restored.
Other healthy areas of the brain can replace damaged functions. Obviously, the chances of recovery vary depending on the degree of damage and the specifics of the affected area.
The consequences of a stroke in different people are very different: some experience only mild ailments that disappear over time. Others experience serious symptoms for months or years.
In general, of those who survived a stroke:
- 15% are hospitalized in long-term care units;
- 35% have severe disability and a marked restriction in everyday life;
- 20% need help walking;
- 70% do not return to their previous job.
Sometimes even small forms of temporary memory loss occur. In rare cases, patients cannot speak or understand the situation normally. If help is too late, the patient dies in 85% of cases.
Relatives and close friends are required to respond in a timely manner to symptoms that indicate a stroke. Lack of response can entail high costs and responsibilities associated with a person’s disability.
