posted on Mar, 15 2005 @ 05:03 PM
A stroke occurs when the flow of blood to a part of the brain is cut off. This can be due to something (usually a blood clot) blocking the flow of
blood to the brain (ischemic stroke). It can also be caused by a burst blood vessel bleeding into the brain (hemorrhagic stroke). About 80% of strokes
are ischemic and 20% are hemorrhagic. Without a blood supply, the brain cells in the affected area start to die.
Now we are being told that warning signs of an ischemic stroke may be evident up to seven days before an attack, according to a stuffy of stroke
patients which was published in Neurology in March. Neurology is a scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
www.sciencedaily.com
The study examined 2,416 people who had experienced an ischemic stroke. In 549 patients, TIAs were experienced prior to the ischemic stroke and in
most cases occurred within the preceding seven days: 17 percent occurring on the day of the stroke, 9 percent on the previous day, and 43 percent at
some point during the seven days prior to the stroke.
"We have known for some time that TIAs are often a precursor to a major stroke," said study author Peter M. Rothwell, MD, PhD, FRCP, of the Department
of Clinical Neurology at Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford, England. "What we haven't been able to determine is how urgently patients must be assessed
following a TIA in order to receive the most effective preventive treatment. This study indicates that the timing of a TIA is critical, and the most
effective treatments should be initiated within hours of a TIA in order to prevent a major attack."
Please visit the link provided for the complete story.
So when people experience these ‘warning’ signs, which can consist of; “a transient ischemic attack (TIA), a "warning stroke" or "mini-stroke"
that shows symptoms similar to a stroke, typically lasts less than five minutes and does not injure the brain”, they can go to a hospital urgently
and seek medical attention. My only argument to this is that if anyone did suffer from a ‘mini-stroke’, surely they would seek medical attention
immediately anyway?
Related News Links:
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www.sciencedaily.com