Facts and myths about stroke

Stroke is when a part of the brain become damaged and could cause many problems such as motor weakness or loss of sensation in a part of a body or speech problems and others.it is caused by either blockage of an artery supplying part of the brain or bleeding inside the brain.

Although this is a serious condition which affects almost 25% of all people during their life, there are a lot of myths surrounding stroke and how to deal with it. In this article we will try debunk some of those myths and stat the facts.

1.MYTH: if you suspect someone having a stroke, give him aspirin immediately.

DO NOT GIVE aspirin on your own. If it is bleeding you will only make it worse. Go to the ER and the doctors will prescribe the treatment according to the condition.

2.MYTH: there is nothing can be done to prevent stroke.

Actually, stroke can be prevented in many conditions if there are underlying diseases which can cause stroke such as high cholesterol level, hypertension, diabetes, smoking and atrial fibrillation which is an irregular heart beating which can cause stroke.

3.MYTH: only old people have stroke.

Not really, almost 10 to 15 percent of people below 45 years develop stroke so if there is predisposing disease it should be managed early.

4.MYTH: if the symptoms go away after a brief amount of time, you are safe

NO, this was is called transient ischemic attack (TIA) which means there was a brief occlusion of an artery supplying part of the brain and if you experienced it you need to go to the doctor as soon as possible to start treatment because it is a red flag that you may suffer a stroke in the future.

5.MYTH: if someone experienced stroke symptoms, you should take him to a clinic

NO, remember this: TIME IS GOLD. Brain cells are precious and unfortunately if they lose blood supply they die quickly without a chance of regeneration so you need to act very fast and call an ambulance to take the patient to the ER where there are facilities and treatment to regain the blood supply to the brain.

6.MYTH: stroke is vague. it is not easy to know if someone developed a stroke

REMEMBER THIS: FAST

F: face or mouth deviating or drooping to one side

A: arm or leg weakness

S: speech slurring or impairment

T: time to call an ambulance if someone experience any of the previous symptoms.

Remember that stroke is a very serious condition and you should act fast. I hope that you find this article helpful. Please share this article to spread the information and looking forward to read your comments.