eer) Who is at risk of eee having a Stroke? Some of the Signs and Symptoms of Stroke are ‘© Weakness in the arms and leg or face + Loss of speech or difficulty talk- ing Blurry eye sight Dizziness Bad headache Difficulty swallowing A stroke results in permanent damage to the brain tissue—and in many cases, permanent disability for the person For example, a person who has had a stroke may become paralysed on one or both sides of the body. They might also lose their speech, sight or memory forever. Bees Om Pee ruee pee Ceoerd People of African descent (Black) The Aged or Elderly Persons who are Smokers People with Diabetes People who are under constant pressure (stress) Persons with heart disease Persons with High Blood Pressure Persons with High Cholesterol rea ai @ 275 vegetables per day can reduce your risk of stroke. For further information you may contact the National Disease Surveillance Unit, Ministry of Health at 502-4776, 502- 4790, 376-3809 or 376-4705. Prepared by Health Education Division 20th Jonuay, 2018 STROKE KNOW YOUR RISK TAKE CONTROLDae ed EEO CCL Curd Stroke is brain damage by a te blood flow part of the brain In order to per- form its many functions and di- ct activities throughout the body like walking, secing and reason ing) the brain requires a constant supply of energy, provided by the oxygen snd nutrients that are de- livered by the flowing blood. If blood flow is reduced or cut off at any point between the heart and the brain, parts of the brain relying on blood from the blocked blood vessel become deprived of oxy- gen. Brain cells are very sensitive to such oxygen shortage, and if they don’t get enough oxygen and nue trients for more than several min- utes, thev, starve 10 death. ey ec Pere cd Toe ee ik of a blood vessel as a flexible, cylindrical tube, like a straw. The flow of liquid through a straw can be blocked in two diferent ways: 1y an obstruction within the straw, oF compression or pinching from out- side the straw. The flow of blood through a blood ves- sel can also be blocked in these two Approximately 80 percent of ali strokes, are caused by an obstruction in ‘an artery, generally one of the carotid arteries, the majar arteries in the neck that carry oxygen-rich blood from the at tothe brain eed Oecd ‘There are two main types of stroke, ischemic stroke and hemorrha; stroke Ischemic strokes An ischemic stroke begins when faty deposits buildup onthe inner wall of & Vood vesel. Aa. the fatty deposit grows, it narrows the space through which blood canfiow Thesctal — \UAS J biatge maton atroond OD flow ia blood cot IL Often the blockage develops by a process known as thrombosis, the formation of a clot inside a blood vessel. When the blood clot devel- ops it cuts off blood flow to part of the brain, and a stroke results. 1 can also be caused by a travelling clot that developed at some other loca- tion, like the heart. The clot travels twough the bloodstream until it reaches a vessel that is to0 small to Jet it pass through. A transient ischemic attack (TIA) sometimes happens before an ischemic sttoke. Ina TIA, also known as a mi stroke, symptoms like a stroke develop but disappear within five minutes to 24 hours. TIAs happen when a clot devel- ‘ops but dissolves right away. Hemorrhagic strokes, happen when weak blood vessels within the brain rupture (burst) and bleed into the surrounding tissue. The escaped blood can compress oF pinch nearby blood vessels, cutting off blood flow ind slarving the surrounding tissue of oxygen. It happens when the wall of a blood vessel becomes weak and thin, and bulges outward. This i called an aneurysm. If left untreated, it continues to expand and weaken, increasing the chance of a stroke.