Preston Wong

Section: 0014
A stroke is when an area of the brain is deprived of blood, and this can be due to a blood clot
blocking a blood vessel, which is an Ischemic stroke, or a rupture to the blood vessel, or a
hemorrhagic stroke. Some symptoms are difficulty walking, speaking, or understanding
other people, dizziness, loss of balance, blurry vision, numbness or paralysis on one side of
the body, and a sudden headache along with nausea.
Because the cells in the brain are not supplied with enough nutrients, they can die. Brain
cells can function for 60-90 seconds if they do not have oxygen, but after 3 hours, the brain
cells will have irreversible injuries. Also, because there is no oxygen, no ATP is being
produced, which can lead to failure of transporters that are responsible for taking glutamate
away from the extracellular space. As a result, glutamate will stay in the synapses and
overly trigger nerve cells.
To diagnose strokes, doctors can test blood for clotting time and blood sugar levels, or
perform an angiogram, which helps doctors find the blocked or ruptured blood vessel by
injecting a dye in the blood and taking an x-ray of the head. Also, they can check for a
sound called bruit, which indicates abnormal blood flow, in the neck blood vessels.
For patients who suffered an ischemic stroke, they can take a clot dissolving drug or a blood
thinner like aspirin. Also, if there is a clot in a large artery, surgery can be performed to
remove the clot from the blood vessel. For hemorrhagic strokes, patients can take a drug
that lowers pressure in the brain, or surgery can be performed to remove part of the skull to
relieve pressure on the brain.
To guard against a stroke happening again, patients should reduce their blood pressure if it
is high, as this can prevent both ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes. Also, patients can
reduce their risk of ischemic stroke by taking anticoagulants like warfarin, or lipid lowering
drugs like statins. For lifestyle changes, patients can reduce their risk of stroke if they do not
smoke, do not drink a lot of alcohol, exercise more, eat less red meat, and reduce their use
of drugs.
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