Apr 5, 2017
A stroke occurs when a part of the brain is deprived of blood supply. The brain cells need this blood supply constantly to survive. There are two types of stroke: One is due to ischemia when there is a blockage of the artery and the other is a hemorrhagic stroke in which there is bleeding into the brain.
Hemorrhagic strokes are less frequent. They result from a ruptured blood vessel or an aneurysm.
Ischemic stroke accounts for more than 80% of all strokes. If the immediate impairment resolves it is called a transient ischemic attach (TIA). TIA should be taken as seriously as a stroke because they are indications that the patient is at risk for a stroke which would make a permanent damage to the brain. The main cause of stroke and TIA is carotid artery disease. When there is substantial plaque build-up in the carotid artery this can block the blood supply to the brain. (more…)
Apr 5, 2017
SAFE welcomes WHO decision on stroke classification: Stroke is now finally classified as a standalone disease within the Neurological family.
According to Jon Barrick, SAFE’s President, this WHO’s decision reverses the erroneous placement of cerebrovascular diseases in Diseases of the Circulatory System held for 62 years since 1955.
This was long felt to be incorrect and of disadvantage for stroke- said Barrick. (more…)
Apr 3, 2017
Insomnia is associated with increased risk of heart attack and stroke, according to research published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
“Sleep is important for biological recovery and takes around a third of our lifetime, but in modern society more and more people complain of insomnia,” said first author Qiao He, a Master’s degree student at China Medical University, Shenyang, China. “For example, it is reported that approximately one-third of the general population in Germany has suffered from insomnia symptoms.” (more…)
Mar 30, 2017
It is not enough to know the symptoms of stroke. The medical staff treating a stroke patient needs to know when to act, how to act and how to properly care for a stroke patient in order for him/her to have the best survival and recovery rate. All of the necessary actions regarding stroke treatment are best combined and performed within a stroke unit.
Anita Hamers – Dijkstra from Netherlands had a stroke in 1988, when she was 21 years old. When she came home from the hospital she was like a 21 year old baby who had to learn everything again, including talking, taking care of herself…
After more than nine months in the rehabilitation center she came home for good. At that point she still did’n know the difference between yes and no; she was a little bit disoriented, with right side paralysis and she could speak just a little. Fortunately, she recovered well from stroke and today she is very successful in doing what she loves the most- painting. (more…)
Mar 27, 2017
Could bone-marrow-derived stem cells aid stroke recovery?
A multicenter trial looking at whether a single dose of millions of adult, bone-marrow-derived stem cells can aid stroke recovery indicates it’s safe and well-tolerated by patients but may not significantly improve their recovery within the first three months, researchers report.
However, the trial does provide evidence that giving the therapy early — within the first 36 hours after stroke symptoms surface — may enhance physical recovery by reducing destructive inflammation as well as the risk for serious infections and that these benefits might continue to surface many months down the road, they report in the journal Lancet Neurology. (more…)
Mar 24, 2017
The medical treatment a stroke patient receives in the first 3 to 6 hours means the difference between life or death, or recovery and lifelong disability.
Rena from Israel, aged 81 was widowed recently and lives a semi active life as she suffers from borderline heart and kidney failure. Early one morning, she telephoned a neighbor, requesting she come over immediately. Within five minutes the neighbor, an active volunteer in the national stroke NGO, heard how Rena was suddenly unable to hold her coffee cup. A quick examination of seeing one hand drop when asked to lift both and the drooping of one side of her mouth were sufficient to immediately call an ambulance. The paramedic repeated the examination, after which he called the “trauma room”, which is equipped to diagnose all emergency patients received at the largest hospital in the city. Within three and a half hours of her original call, she was receiving the tPA treatment. Two days later she was discharged and has not suffered any after effects. When asked how come she knew to react immediately to the weakness in her arm, she said she always remembers the signs of a stroke from the FAST magnet on her refrigerator, a gift from her neighbor. (more…)
Mar 24, 2017
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Mar 23, 2017
The National Prevention and Rehabilitation League of Stroke in Hungary is a prominently public benefit organisation. Services include health-preservation, prevention of disease, healing- and medical rehabilitation activities. This is their story, told by Krisztina, the President of this organisation, and Eszter, the volunteer.
The World Stroke Organisation is committed to developing more Stroke Support Organizations (SSOs) and stroke support activities around the world. Supportive activity can include information and advice, peer support, family counselling, rehabilitation therapy or welfare services. We want to promote this invaluable activity as much as we can. If you would like to share your stories of stroke support please contact Sarah Belson. (more…)
Mar 17, 2017
In the midst of a media awareness campaign, which emphasized the warning signs of a stroke, the office of Neeman Stroke Survivors Association, Israel, received many calls of gratitude for the important information. A particularly moving one was from the mother of a 34 year old son, who had come home from work not quite “as usual”. His wife noticed a drooping on one side of his face. Recalling the clip she had seen on television, she immediately called for emergency transport to the nearest hospital. Her husband was fortunate enough to be found eligible for “clot busting treatment” (tPA).
After a short period of observation following the treatment, he was discharged with no apparent lingering of what he had undergone. (more…)
Mar 15, 2017
Story source: www.medtronic.com
Recovery for patients like Viet Le is only part of the story.
The first time it happened to Viet Le was bad enough. The second time produced the worst kind of déjà vu.
“Things were going in slow motion again and I remember thinking ‘it can’t be the same thing,’” he said.
But it was.
Twice in nine months, both times while working out, Viet suffered massive strokes. He couldn’t stand or speak to tell bystanders what was wrong. (more…)
