ABOUT:

• Stroke (also known as Brain Attack) occurs when blood supply to the brain is affected due to either blockage or leakage (or both blockage and leakage) of a blood vessel responsible for supplying or draining blood to and from the brain, thereby, causing brain damage leading to difficulty in movements, sensation, speaking, vision etc. or at times to death.
• Types of stroke:
1. Ischemic Stroke:In India about 70-75% of all strokes are ischemic, in which blood flow to the brain is blocked by blood clots or fatty deposits (also known as plaque) in blood vessel linings.
2. Hemorrhagic Stroke:It occurs when a blood vessel leaks in the brain. Blood accumulates and compresses the surrounding brain tissue. This is also called ‘Brain hemorrhage.
3. Intracerebral hemorrhage: It is the most common type of hemorrhagic stroke. It occurs when an artery in the brain leaks, flooding the surrounding tissue with blood.
4. Subarachnoid hemorrhage: It is bleeding in the area between the brain and its covering consisting of layers of tissue.
5. Transient ischemic attack (TIA) is a "warning stroke" or a "mini-stroke" that results in no lasting damage. Recognizing and treating TIAs immediately can reduce your risk of a major stroke.

SYMPTOMS:

• Weakness or Numbness of the face, arm, or leg.
• Confusion or trouble speaking or understanding others.
• Difficulty in vision
• Difficulty in walking or loss of balance or coordination.
• Severe headache with unknown cause.

TREATMENT:

• Four lifestyle factors which help in prevention are avoiding tobacco use (smoking or chewing), alcohol excess, taking balanced diet (low salt, high vegetable and fruit content) and maintaining adequate physical activity (minimum 30 minutes brisk walking for five days in a week).
• Four medical conditions to keep under control are high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high body fat (cholesterol or weight control) and heart diseases.
• If adequate attention is paid to the above four lifestyle factors and four medical conditions, risk of stroke can be mitigated to a great extent.