Olorun ma je : Stroke
- p31health
- Dec 26, 2025
- 2 min read
Stroke also known as Cerebrovascular Accident
What it is it?
A stroke happens when there is a problem with the blood supply to a part or parts of the brain. The longer this is left untreated, the higher the risk of permanent long term problems.
The symptoms vary depending on what part of the brain has been affected.
Symptoms
Act FAST!
F - Facial droop - one side of the face may not move or be drooping downwards
A - Arms -Weakness in arms or legs - cannot raise their arm or leg or keep them raised
S - Slurred speech
T - TIME to act, call emergency services or if not available, someone to take you to hospital. (DO NOT DRIVE YOURSELF)
Other symptoms can include:
Sudden problems with your vision, for example something that looks like a black curtain coming down over your vision in one or more eyes
Severe sudden headache that is the worst you have ever had, sometimes described as a thunderclap headache
Sudden severe dizziness
New confusion
Difficulty speaking including struggling to think of the correct words or not making sense when speaking.
Even if these symptoms improve after short while, emergency assessment would still be important. There is a condition known as Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA) which causes symptoms of a stroke that improve within 24 hours. It can be a pre-cursor to a full stroke so definitely still needs healthcare review.
Treatment
Basically, the aim of immediate medical care is to restore the blood supply to the part of the brain that is affected. There are 2 main causes of the disrupted blood supply, blood clot blocking the flow of blood in the blood vessel or bleeding of the blood vessel itself. For the blood clot, medications may be given to dissolve the clot and thin the blood. This is completely the wrong thing to do if the reason is due to bleeding in the brain as this would make the situation worse. Urgent brain scans are usually needed to help differentiate the type of stroke.
Further treatment aims to
Identify any conditions that contributed to the risk of stroke
Restoring function e.g. physiotherapy to strengthen weakened arms.
Reducing risk of further stroke
Useful resources
Disclaimer: All my posts aim to provide general health information and are not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult a healthcare provider for personal health concerns.
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