Professor Cho Won-sang of Seoul National University Hospital “As if the lights are off, my vision is dark and my speech is slurred”
Stroke, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, smoking, family history, obesity, etc. are the main causes
Drug treatment is possible within 4 hours and 30 minutes of symptom onset… keep the golden hour
Getty Images Bank
In October, autumn is getting darker. The temperature difference between day and night is getting bigger as a cold wind blows in the morning and evening. As such, during the changing seasons with a large daily temperature difference, there is a high probability of a stroke, which is called a ‘paralysis’, so you need to be very careful.
According to the recent National Medical Center, the number of stroke patients in Korea has increased by 19% over the past five years. Cancer is the number one cause of death among Koreans, but heart disease, pneumonia, and stroke make up the top five with a similar proportion.
Let’s look at the causes, symptoms, and treatment of stroke, which is collectively referred to as ‘cerebral infarction’, which is a blockage of blood vessels, and ‘cerebral hemorrhage,’ when blood vessels burst.
According to the medical community on the 3rd, stroke is greatly affected by the weather. If the blood vessels constrict suddenly due to cold weather, and a cerebral infarction or cerebral hemorrhage occurs, the blood supply to the brain is impossible and brain cells die. These dead brain cells are not restored later, leaving a permanent disability.
When people think of a stroke, the first thing that comes to mind is the scene in the drama where they grab the back of the neck and fall. However, the actual stroke symptoms are different, experts explain. The most common omen is a momentary blockage of vision, as if a light had been turned off. Half of the field of view is narrowed as if a curtain had been drawn. In addition, parts of the body may be paralyzed or sensory functions may be reduced.
Speech dysfunction is one of the symptoms of stroke. After a stroke, speech may become slurred or aphasia may develop, and it may be difficult to understand other people’s words even though they speak well. In severe cases, you may lose consciousness and fall.
Professor Cho Won-sang of Seoul National University Hospital’s neurosurgery said, “The most typical symptom of stroke is that the eyes instantly darken as if the lights were turned off.
stroke. Getty Images Bank
There are six major common causes of cerebral infarction and cerebral hemorrhage: high blood pressure, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, smoking, family history, and obesity. In recent years, taking the wrong medication has also been a cause of stroke. This is the case if you are taking antiplatelet and anticoagulant medications, which are blood thinners. In particular, some of the elderly people personally purchase and take antiplatelet drugs, such as aspirin, for the purpose of preventing cerebral infarction.
Professor Cho said, “Medically, taking aspirin is not recommended because it has more ‘defects’ such as cerebral hemorrhage and gastrointestinal bleeding than ‘benefits’ such as prevention of cerebral infarction.
There is also a link between stroke and dementia. This is because damaged brain blood vessels can damage brain tissue and cause memory impairment. This is called ‘vascular dementia’ to distinguish it from general degenerative dementia such as Alzheimer’s. It is characteristic that it is accompanied by other neurological symptoms such as paralysis and visual field disturbances.
Hydrocephalus, caused by a pool of water in the head due to a stroke, can also cause symptoms of dementia. Fortunately, hydrocephalus is a disease that can be cured with relatively easy surgery. Therefore, dementia caused by hydrocephalus is almost the only treatable dementia.
There are different treatment methods for cerebral hemorrhage with ruptured blood vessels and cerebral infarction with blocked blood vessels. In the case of cerebral hemorrhage, if the amount of bleeding is large enough to affect the intracranial pressure, surgery is performed and a small amount of bleeding is allowed to be absorbed. Continued bleeding is also important. If the blood vessels do not stop bleeding, hemostasis should be performed.
On the other hand, in cerebral infarction, the degenerative state of the brain is important. When blood vessels are clogged, the brain swells, and the swelling of the brain is more severe than that of the skin. If the brain is so degenerated that it cannot return to its original shape, it is impossible to pierce the blocked blood vessels, so only drug treatment is possible.
On the other hand, a space can be secured by opening the skull so that the swollen brain does not press on the blood vessels, and hypothermia therapy is performed to suppress brain swelling by lowering body temperature to lower the intracranial pressure.
ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. Getty Images Bank
If you see someone close to you collapsed from a stroke, it’s important to call 911 and go to the emergency room quickly. Because treatment has advanced a lot, medication can be treated if you arrive at the emergency room within 4 hours and 30 minutes of symptom onset. In a cerebral infarction caused by blockage of blood vessels, if you arrive at the emergency room within 24 hours, the blocked blood vessels can be cleared.
Professor Cho emphasized, “Sometimes, I get a lot of questions about the prevention of cerebrovascular disease, such as ‘what can I eat and what can I do to prevent it’, but there is no particular ‘something’.”
“The most important thing is to manage risk factors. It is important to exercise appropriate exercise, abstinence from alcohol, and not to smoke, as well as manage underlying diseases such as high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes on a regular basis.
In addition, people who have already suffered a stroke need continuous management to prevent recurrence.
Professor Cho said, “Even if there are sequelae, most of them can recover close to normal if good rehabilitation treatment is performed.
Lee Seung-gu, online news reporter [email protected]
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