A stroke always invades the patient’s life very rudely, disrupting the fulfillment of all everyday functions by him, making his own adjustment to life goals. Indeed, such people have to spend a lot of energy on constant monitoring of health, undergo examinations, and are strictly observed by a doctor. And often, until the end of their days, take medication. One of the main questions of the patients themselves and their relatives: "What is the prognosis for patients who have suffered an ischemic brain stroke ?" Indeed, sometimes people have to re-learn basic skills: the ability to walk, talk, and serve themselves.
What is an ischemic stroke?
According to medical terminology, this ailment is a violation of the blood circulation of the brain, proceeding in an acute form. The disease is accompanied by the death of gray matter tissues.
The consequences may be different for patients diagnosed with ischemic stroke. In most cases, even a doctor cannot give a prognosis for the life of such patients. After all, this ailment competes for primacy with myocardial infarction in the list of "killers" of people. According to statistics, it is precisely the two diseases mentioned above that cause almost 50% of all deaths.
If we touch on the consequences, then the ailment under consideration has no equal. About 85% of patients after ischemic stroke remain disabled or die. On average, only 10% recover.
Symptoms of the disease
Many factors influence the rate at which an ischemic brain stroke will occur. The prognosis, of course, depends on the location and extent of the affected area.
However, no less important for a favorable outcome:
- timely first aid;
- fast delivery of the patient to the hospital;
- the correctness of rehabilitation measures.
These moments fall, as a rule, on relatives. It depends on their competence and making timely decisions what the prognosis for life for survivors of ischemic stroke will be.
Therefore, we dwell on the symptoms that signal an illness. After all, it is very important when they occur to provide the patient with urgent care.
The main features are:
- the appearance of severe, sharp pains in the head;
- violation of sensitive perception;
- dizziness;
- the appearance of nausea, often turning into vomiting;
- disorientation - it is difficult for the patient to stay on his feet, in an upright position;
- numbness of the limbs or their complete immobilization;
- a feeling of weakness in one of the halves of the body;
- impaired speech, hearing, vision;
- drowsiness, up to a complete loss of consciousness.
First aid
As previously noted, the patient’s adaptation after an ischemic stroke depends on the measures taken by relatives. Therefore, in case of the symptoms described above, an ambulance team should be called immediately. Remember that any delay in this situation is literally like death.
If all the signs indicate an ischemic stroke of the brain, the prognosis largely depends on the time after which treatment will be started. Thus, calling an ambulance, be sure to describe all the signs that you observed. This will allow the dispatcher to initially send a specialized neurological team to help.
Until medical help arrives, you should:
- Lay the patient in such a way that the head is placed slightly above body level.
- It is imperative to provide rest to the patient and an influx of fresh air.
- If a person is unconscious, it is necessary to carefully turn it to its side. Otherwise, saliva or tongue may block the respiratory throat.
- Before the doctor arrives, the patient should not be given medications. This can seriously aggravate the condition of the patient.
Causes of the disease
Ischemic stroke occurs due to clogged arteries with a blood clot. Brain nutrition is suddenly interrupted. Most often, it occurs against the background of the following diseases:
- atrial fibrillation;
- atherosclerosis;
- hypertension.
In this case, the integrity of the vessel is maintained. However, blood flow is blocked by a blood clot or spasm.
Many factors can provoke a stroke of the ischemic type, the prognosis of the consequences of which can be disappointing. The main ones are the following:
- stress, constant worries;
- microclimate changes;
- jumps in blood pressure;
- overwork;
- overweight;
- bad habits (addiction to tobacco and alcohol);
- jumps in blood sugar.
Localization of the disease
Ischemic stroke leads to very devastating consequences. As a result of blockage of the artery, the movement of blood stops. This leads to the death of a certain part of the brain. A dead area is not able to perform its basic functions. As a result, the patient may experience impaired consciousness, speech, vision, motor coordination, and sensitivity. Quite often, partial paralysis occurs. As a rule, a stroke damages a small area of the brain. However, the consequences are always irreplaceable. After all, all cells interact with each other.
Localization of the focus in the center of motor speech leads to impaired ability to talk. Sometimes such patients become dumb. Only single words or simple phrases may be pronounced. It is noted that patients normally perceive other people's speech.
Circulatory disturbance in the right hemisphere causes paresis (paralysis) in the left side of the body. Accordingly, the resulting focus in another part of the brain is manifested by the same symptoms on the opposite side of the patient's body.
The most dangerous place is the brain stem. Indeed, it is in this area that the most important centers are located. If a patient is diagnosed with ischemic stem stroke, the prognosis can be quite sad. Edema compresses important parts of the brain. If it is not possible to eliminate the source of the problem in time, the patient may experience respiratory failure, interruptions in cardiac activity. Sometimes edema can lead to a halt in the above systems.
Doctors Forecast
Observing certain symptoms, a professional doctor can conclude which area of the brain has affected the disease. This knowledge allows doctors to make assumptions about the course of the disease.
Typically, predictions after an ischemic stroke can be as follows:
- Favorable. In this case, the patient gradually restores lost abilities and functions.
- Average. This forecast is associated with afflicted ailments. It can be diabetes, pneumonia, and digestive tract disorders. The patient's condition periodically improves, and then worsens. Periodically observed recovery. Doctors do not undertake to predict the duration of treatment.
- Adverse. This is the worst of the three options. As a rule, the lesion focus covers a large area. Often patients have a repeated ischemic stroke. The forecast does not bode well. The statistics is that in 70% of cases repeated strokes lead to death. The most critical are 3, 7 and 9 days after the impact. At the same time, the risk of relapse persists throughout the first year.
What promises the localization of the lesion?
From all of the above, it becomes clear that the prognosis depends on many factors, including the localization of the disease.
Extensive ischemic stroke. The prognosis for this type is unfavorable. After all, a fairly vast area of the brain is affected. The patient often has a loss of facial sensitivity, the occurrence of severe headaches, difficulty speaking, and a drop in vision. The patient's condition may be accompanied by loss of consciousness. Such a pathology is very difficult to treat. That is why, if a patient is diagnosed with an extensive ischemic stroke, the prognosis does not imply a complete recovery. Such patients do not return to their previous state.
Stem ischemic stroke. It is this variety that carries, as previously noted, the greatest danger. This form of stroke is associated with the highest mortality. If we talk about the characteristic symptoms, then patients noticeably worsen coordination of movements, nausea, dizziness, spatial disorientation. Such patients fall, lose consciousness. After that, they are not able to move normally.
Cerebellar ischemic stroke . In the initial stages of this kind of people experience nausea, vomiting, loss of orientation. Patients lose the ability to move normally. After a few days (from 1 to 3), the cerebellum significantly increases in size. He begins to press on neighboring tissues. Unfortunately, they are stem. A fairly insidious variety is considered ischemic cerebellar stroke. The forecast in this case may be the most unpredictable. In such patients, facial paralysis is clearly visible. Patients experience severe numbness. It is noted that the most common result that this particular ischemic stroke leads to is coma. The prognosis for this condition of the patient is the most unfavorable. Immediate death cannot be ruled out.
Rehabilitation period
For some patients, a stroke can go almost completely. As a rule, this is observed with small lesions. However, most often, many functions are lost in patients. Unilateral paralysis is the most common symptom accompanying ischemic stroke. Rehabilitation can help the patient return to life faster.
The recovery program is developed for each individual case individually. All rehabilitation measures are mandatory controlled by a neuropathologist. The result of this program depends on the patient’s mood for healing and on the help of relatives.
Any rehabilitation is based on the following:
- After a few days, when the critical stage has passed, the patient is recommended minimal activity. In the future, physiotherapy exercises are prescribed. In this case, the consequences caused by such an ailment as ischemic stroke of the brain are fully taken into account. Gymnastics is accompanied by physiotherapeutic procedures, massage.
- One of the most important points is the development of paralyzed limbs. In this case, a light massage is recommended. As well as careful flexion of paralyzed joints. Many studies have confirmed that training lost functions of the extremities favorably affects their recovery. If the weakened hand does not work at all, then the process can be significantly delayed and, as a rule, will not bring the desired result.
- Visual and auditory loads are very important for the rehabilitation period. The patient can be offered to watch TV, turn on quiet soft music. Most patients enjoy communicating with pleasure.
- The most important factor is the psychological stimulus. The patient himself must strive to deal with his illness. This attitude depends on the environment that surrounds the patient. One of the decisive factors is the attitude of relatives to the affected person.
- The patient should be constantly supported and encouraged in the recovery process. The patient needs praise as a means of motivation for action. It is necessary to show and repeat the exercise several times until the patient completely remembers it.
- During psychological and physical rehabilitation, neurological and cardiological rehabilitation is carried out. These methods are the prerogative of doctors. The composition of the measures depends on the stage of the patient's condition.
Power Features
For stroke survivors, there are a number of dietary recommendations. Their observance will help eliminate the likelihood of a second attack. Patients should limit themselves in the use of salt, sugar, flour products, fatty foods. It is necessary to beware of pickled, canned foods, to exclude smoked meats. It is not recommended to consume eggs, mayonnaise and ketchup.
Nutritionists advise adding more fruits and vegetables to the diet. Useful foods rich in fiber, vegetarian soups. Promotes better rehabilitation of sour-milk food. Potassium enriched foods are especially relevant. These are dried apricots, apricots, bananas, citrus fruits.
It should be remembered that you need to eat food in small quantities 5 times a day. As for the liquid, the verdict of doctors is as follows - 1 liter per day.
Consequences of a stroke
Unfortunately, for almost no person who has suffered an ischemic stroke of the brain (the prognosis may be the most favorable), the disease does not go unnoticed.
Often, patients remain with a variety of consequences for life. Some of the common ones are:
- Impaired motor function. One of the most common complications. With careful and regular work, paralyzed limbs can recover slightly during the first year. It is noted that the efforts of patients become noticeable by 4-6 months. Adequate rehabilitation will be able to raise the patient to his feet and teach them to walk independently.
- Decreased intelligence, loss of memory. Unfortunately, such symptoms are an integral part of the disease. In order to compensate for these processes, doctors prescribe drug therapy. It helps to improve blood supply to the brain. All medicines are prescribed exclusively by your doctor. As a rule, they are taken in certain courses.
- Depressive state . This is another serious enough consequence. That it can significantly interfere with the recovery process of the patient. In this case, to bring him into a balanced and calm state, psychotherapeutic treatment is connected. It is very important for family to be patient and to help the patient to get out of depression. An excellent measure is communication with an oppressed patient. During the conversation, it is necessary to reassure the patient, encourage, inspire to intensify action.
Conclusion
Ischemic stroke can significantly narrow the list of human capabilities. However, it should not be an insurmountable barrier to life satisfaction. A stroke survivor may well continue to pursue his hobby. You just need to slightly adapt your type of leisure to the circumstances.
For example, an avid gardener can plant wonderful potted flowers on a windowsill. A lover of embroidery, having fixed the hoop, will be able to continue working with one hand.
Doing your favorite thing will enhance your mood, will contribute to recovery. And most importantly - will switch attention from illness to health. Simple household tasks are the first step to the recovery of the patient.