A stroke occurs when blood flow to a specific region of the brain is broken or severely limited, resulting in brain tissue does not receive sufficient oxygen. Within minutes, brain cells begin to die.

When you stroke a medical emergency. The earliest possible start of treatment can reduce brain damage and minimize further complications. The good news is that stroke can be treated and prevented. Now the number of deaths due to significantly less than it was 10-15 years ago. This is due not only to the development of methods of diagnosis and treatment, but also improves the control of major risk factors.

Symptoms

The main symptoms of a stroke:

• Dizziness, weakening coordination and the ability to maintain balance.
• Impaired ability to express their thoughts and understand what was said. For example, stroke patients can long and difficult to remember the simplest words that say something or to understand what is said to him.
• Muscle paralysis or numbness on one side of the body and face. If you suspect that you have a stroke, you try to lift up both hands. If one of them falls, or if you can not pick it up, maybe it really is a stroke.
• Visual impairment. In patients with stroke can observe blurred vision or a complete loss in one or both eyes.
• Headache. The sudden very severe headache, sometimes accompanied by vomiting, dizziness Dizziness - if the ground is slipping from under his feet   and / or an altered state of consciousness, can be an indicator of stroke.

When you see any symptoms of a stroke, even if you think that they weaken or disappear, you should immediately call an ambulance. Do not wait until the symptoms go away - may be so, but the cells of the brain at the same time continue to deteriorate. The longer stroke is left untreated, the more serious will be the destruction of brain tissue. Treatment to be most effective, you need to bring the patient to the emergency room within 60 minutes after the first symptoms of stroke.

If you are near a person with symptoms of stroke Stroke - symptoms of the disease: they must know each Before the arrival of the ambulance should be closely monitored his condition. If he starts an attack of vomiting, turn his head to the side so that he suffocated; do not let him eat and drink. If the patient stops breathing, make artificial respiration.

Causes

There are two main types of stroke: ischemic stroke, which develops as a result of impaired patency of the artery that supplies blood to the brain, and hemorrhagic stroke, which develops due to a brain hemorrhage.

Ischemic stroke

In 75-85% of patients diagnosed with stroke ischemic stroke. It develops when the arteries supplying blood to the brain, narrowed, or is blocked, resulting in a significant reduction in blood flow to the brain. Lack of blood flow causes a lack of oxygen and nutrients to the tissues of the brain; in terms of this "starvation" brain cells begin to die within minutes.

• Thrombotic stroke - ischemic type of stroke, occurs when one of the arteries supplying blood to the brain, a clot is formed. Typically, clots are formed in the areas affected by atherosclerosis Atherosclerosis - a chronic disease of the arteries   - A disease in which the arteries appear on the walls of the fat deposits.
• Embolic stroke - another type of ischemic stroke. It occurs when blood clots or other entities that appear in the blood vessels, torn and penetrate the thin artery of the brain. The formation of such clots in the heart can be caused by atrial fibrillation Arrhythmia - when we hear your heart .

Hemorrhagic Stroke

This type of stroke occurs when a blood vessel is broken the brain, causing the blood flows into the brain. The cause of hemorrhagic stroke may be different disorders that affect the condition of blood vessels, including uncontrolled blood pressure (hypertension) and aneurysm. A less common cause of hemorrhagic stroke are arteriovenous malformations (AVM) - an abnormal connection between the blood vessels; usually congenital.

Migraine - a headache, characterized by intense throbbing sensation in one area of ​​the head and often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and increased sensitivity to light and sound. Migraine attacks can cause severe pain, continued a few hours to a few days and be so severe that the patient can not think of anything but hiding a dark, quiet place to lie down.

Severe pain or a migraine starts in the neck or in the temples and gradually cover the half of the head (left for right-handers, right for left-handers). Sometimes migraine is preceded or accompanied by aura - Hypersensitivity to loud noises and light melteshenie before his eyes, aversion to smells, tingling in the hands or feet. The first occurrence of typical migraine symptoms should consult a doctor and determine the cause. However, often the symptoms are treated, but not the disease, although successful. Medications can help reduce the frequency and ease the occurrence of migraine. Properly selected drug in combination with home remedies and lifestyle changes can bring significant relief.

Symptoms of migraine

Migraine - a very common disease, it suffers 15% of the population. Migraines often begin in childhood, adolescence or early adulthood. In the development of migraine is divided into four stages: prodrome, aura, migraine attack (attack), postdrom, though they may not occur in all people.

Prodromus

Prodrome symptoms usually develop within a few days (usually one or two days), or hours before the migraine attack, and include:

• increased or decreased sensitivity of perception;
• irritability Irritability - you try to control my temper ;
• tearfulness;
• excessive yawning and drowsiness;
• special fondness for food (usually sweet);
• swelling;
• constipation;
• diarrhea;
• hyperactivity;
• depression;
• stiff neck.

Aura

Phase aura occurs typically one hour prior to the development of pain, and can last from 5 to 60 minutes. Most people suffer from migraine without aura. Visual disturbances called aura (usually), hearing, taste, violation of motor and speech functions. Each of these symptoms usually start small and gradually increases within a few minutes, after which usually lasts from 10 to 30 minutes.

Symptoms of the aura:

• visual disturbances: circles, bright spots or flashes of light before the eyes;
• temporary loss of vision;
• numbness or tingling of the hands or feet;
• speech disorders;

In rare cases, the aura may be accompanied by aphasia Aphasia: types and treatment of the disease   or severe weakness in the limbs (hemiplegic migraine).

Migraine attacks

Migraine headache has a moderate or expressed the intensity of which increases within 2 - 4 hours, and often increases with any physical activity, coughing, sneezing, climbing stairs, tilt your head down.

If untreated migraine attack lasts from 3 to 72 hours, but the frequency of attacks is individual: you may have migraines several times a month or less frequently. Symptoms of migraine attacks:

• pain is localized on one side;
• throbbing pain;
• sensitivity to light, sounds and smells;
• nausea and vomiting;
• visual disturbances;
• diarrhea;
• dizziness, sometimes fainting.

Postdrom

The final phase of a migraine - postdrom or recovery phase. When the headache subsided, the patient is experiencing a sharp decline in activity. He feels "squeezed" or "exhausted", but sometimes the patient may fall into a state of euphoria, or dive into a deep sleep Dreams: how to understand our dreams . Postdrom lasts up to 24 hours.

When you need to see a doctor

Migraines are often not diagnosed and treated. If you are regularly seen with all the attendant worsening signs and symptoms, keep a diary of migraine and to write everything that relates to the disease. Then consult a doctor - on the basis of your observations it will be easier to determine the most effective course of treatment. You should also consult your doctor if you are familiar to the flow diagram of migraine changed (increased frequency of attacks, there was an aura).

Call a physician or the emergency room, if you have any of the following symptoms that may point to other, more serious diseases:

• sudden, severe headache, similar to electric shock;
• headache accompanied by fever, stiff neck, rash, confusion, seizures, double vision, weakness, numbness of extremities Numbness - a harmless signal or a sign of the terrible?   or speech disorder;
• headache occurs after a head injury, especially if the pain gets worse with time;
• chronic headaches and worse after coughing, exercise, muscle tension or sudden movements;
• headache appeared after 50 years.