ALL THAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ISCHEMIC STROKE

When a blood vessel carrying blood to the brain, is blocked by a clot, Ischemic stroke occurs. Ischemic also spelled as “isceamia” refers to shortage in the blood supply to the brain.

This occurs due to an underlying condition called atherosclerosis wherein fat deposits clog the walls of the vessels and after a certain stage cause obstruction to the supply of blood. If the blood does not pass through the cells, these cells die immediately thereby hugely impacting the brain function. 87% of the strokes caused, are usually Ischemic and this is considered as an extremely critical condition and needs immediate medical attention.

Types Of Ischemic Stroke:

There are two type of Ischemic strokes:

• Thrombotic stroke. This is also referred to as Cerebral thrombosis or Cerebral infarction. It is further classified into Large vessel Thrombosis and Small vessel Thrombosis. If the blockage occurs in one of the large blood supplying arteries such as middle cerebral artery or carotid artery it is then termed as Large vessel Thrombosis and when the blockage is in one of the smaller arteries or deeper and penetrating arteries, it is referred to as Small vessel Thrombosis. Lucanar stroke. It usually occurs while asleep or in the early mornings and in rare cases it may also occur over a period of days or hours. This is called stroke-in-evolution.
• Embolic Stroke. This occurs when there is blockage or clot that forms within an artery and travels in the bloodstream until it gets lodged and cannot travel further. This Clot referred to as Embolus, forms, somewhere in the heart and not in the brain as such. Embolic stroke causes physical neurological deficits restricting the flow of blood to the brain.

Symptoms Of Ischemic Stroke:

The onset of symptoms is usually sudden, within seconds or minutes. Sometimes, people have symptoms, over a span of hours or days. A transient Ischemic attack (TIA) may sometimes precede a full blown stroke where in the blood supply to the brain is interrupted for a short period of time. These symptoms are only temporary and do not last for more than 24 hours.
The exact symptoms depend on the part of the brain to which the blood supply is blocked. This is due to the fact that different parts of the brain, control different functions and are supplied blood through different arteries. However, the most common symptoms include

• Weakness or numbness on one side of the body.
• Slurred speech
• Dizziness
• Problems with eyesight.

Causes Of Ischemic Stroke:

The main causes of this type of stroke include,

• Hypertension or High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Heart diseases
• Smoking
• High Cholesterol

TREATMENT OF ISCHEMIC STROKE:

The treatment of stroke can be divided into two parts

• Emergency treatment of Ischemic stroke: Emergency treatment for this type of stroke involves restoring blood flow to the brain. Clot busting medications are the main stay in the treatment of Ischemic stroke. These Clot busters show better results if given within 3 hours of symptoms. Clot busters are done through intravenous lines in the vein. They help dissolve the clot, thereby restoring the flow of blood into the brain. Surgical procedures are used, if appropriate, to remove the clot.

Treatment of Ischemic Stroke after the Emergency phase: After the emergency phase of treatment a a Neurology centre is over, rehabilitation is the most important phase of treatment once the stroke affects the brain and leaves residual effects. Rehabilitation is aimed at helping the patient regain functionality. It comprise of Physiotherapy to improve the functions of the affected parts of the body, occupational therapy to specifically improve hand function and speech therapy to help patients regain lost speech. It is essential to institute aggressive rehabilitation therapy soon after the stroke. The faster it is started the better the results are.

• Ayurvedic Treatment for Ischemic stroke
  Ayurvedic treatment is very useful in helping the patient recover after the acute phase is dealt with in an emergency setting. There are several medicines, therapies and treatment protocols that can play a significant part in the recovery. If it is complemented by rehabilitation therapies as well, the rehabilitation process is speeded up recovery is much better. Administered in an integrated manner, Ayurveda with rehabilitation can significantly speed track the recovery process and improve outcomes significantly.

Prevention of Recurrence of Ischemic stroke
To prevent the chances of another stroke, the doctors recommend anti-coagulant medication to prevent the blood from clotting easily and also medicines to reduce cholesterol. Lifestyle changes like quitting smoking, active lifestyle and adequate rest are also recommended. They might also recommend a procedure to open up the artery that is clogged by fat deposits.

While some risk factors like heredity cannot be changed, other high-risk behaviors like smoking, consumption of alcohol can be brought under control and stopped to avoid such stroke.