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Ischemic and Hemorrhagic Stroke
Hopefully you never had to endure a situation of someone close to you to suffer from transient ischemic attach (TIA), also known as mini stoke, or from a stroke. In any case, you should be familiar with both kinds of stroke as they both destroy brain tissue and can produce similar long-term effects. But there are important differences in what causes them and in the symptoms that tell you which kind of stroke is happening.
Ischemic Stroke:
According to statistics, 80 percent of strokes belong to the ischemic stroke kind. These mini-strokes occur when blood flow to the brain is blocked by plaque-clogged arteries or by blood clots. This means that blood is not circulating properly inside the brain causing brain cells to die if even for a few minutes no oxygen is transmitted to them via the blood.
- Symptoms: Sudden numbness or weakness, especially on one side of the body; difficulty speaking or understanding speech; trouble seeing in one or both eyes; dizziness and a sudden loss of balance; falling in and out of consciousness; chest pain and shortness of breath. These last three symptoms are less-brain-centered and are more commonly experienced by women.
Hemorrhagic Stroke:
These brain hemorrhages happen when a blood vessel in the brain bursts, spilling blood into the surrounding tissue. There are various causes of these bursts. The most frequent is the rupture of an aneurysm, a weak spot on the wall of an artery that happens to be in your brain-aneurysms can occur elsewhere in the body, too. Experts point out that women are twice as likely as men to have an aneurysm in the brain and are more likely to have multiple aneurysms than men. Two other causes for bleeding in the brain are: hypertension, which can create enough pressure to break an artery wall, and arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in the brain. This is a snarl of defective blood vessels and capillaries whose thin walls are prone to rupture.
- Symptoms: A sudden violent headache, as if cracking a fault like through the brain’s delicate architecture. The patient may also suffer from blurred vision or nausea.
If you ever suspect you might be having a TIA or stroke or believe you are witnessing someone else having one, make sure 911 (or your local emergency unit) be called immediately. Tell the dispatcher that, if possible, you want to be transported to a hospital with a stroke center. Do not attempt to drive to the emergency room yourself. Stroke patients who arrive at the hospital by ambulance are evaluated sooner by an ER physician, get the necessary testing and are admitted to the hospital or intensive-care unit more frequently than those who arrive by taxi or car. Most importantly, bring someone prepared to advocate for you or the patient. Be prepared by being informed and act fast!
Tags: balance, blood clot, blood vessel, blood vessels, brain, brain hemorrhage, chest pain, dizziness, headache, hemorrhage, hemorrhagic, hemorrhagic stroke, hospital, ischemic, ischemic attach, ischemic stroke, of the body, shortness of breath, stroke, stroke center, stroke patient, stroke patients, strokes, testing, transient ischemic, transient ischemic attachRelated posts
Acute Asthmatic Bronchitis
The respiratory system is one of the most important systems in the human body. It is the part of the body that distributes oxygen throughout the body in order for it to live. Without it, the body will not be able to survive. This is why it is important for you to always take care of your respiratory system.
However, there are instances where there will be a respiratory disorder. One type of respiratory illness is called bronchitis. Bronchitis is an obstructive pulmonary disorder where the bronchi of the lungs become inflamed. This particular condition is common with tobacco smokers or people living in areas where there is a high level of air pollution.
One type of bronchitis is called acute bronchitis where it is considered to be a short-term bronchitis and can be treated right away. You can tell if you have acute bronchitis if you are suffering from the following signs and symptoms:
- Persistent coughing with mucus
- Shortness of breath (Dyspnea)
- Mild fever
- Fatigue
- Mild chest pains
- Feeling of vibration in the chest when breathing
- Feeling of coldness
If you are suffering from the mentioned signs and symptoms, it is recommended that you should consult your physician immediately in order for them to conduct a diagnosis. The diagnosis will include a physical examination where the physician will listen for your breathing sounds through a stethoscope. They will also have your chest X-rayed for further testing.
Acute bronchitis is commonly caused by viruses infecting the lining of the bronchial tree. The virus can be the same viruses that cause colds. In rare cases, acute bronchitis can be caused by an infection of fungus in the bronchial tree. Bacterial infection is also one of the main causes of acute bronchitis.
Treatment for acute bronchitis can be rather easy to do. If the bronchitis is caused by a virus, it will usually go away after a few days and signs and symptoms of bronchitis will subside. It is only required that you should get plenty of rest until the fever subsides and drink a lot of non-caffeinated and non-alcoholic drink, such as water and juices. It is recommended that you should drink at least 3 to 4 liters a day in order for you to recover faster.
However, if the bronchitis is caused by bacteria, the treatment will include taking antibiotics. It is also recommended that you should increase the humidity in the environment by using room humidifiers or by simply putting wet towels and blankets around the house.
In order to help the bronchial tree recover and heal faster and prevent another attack of bronchitis, it is recommended that you should stay away from polluted areas and if you are a smoker, you should cut down or quit smoking if possible or at least by not smoking inside the house.
The duration of acute bronchitis is usually 10 to 12 days after the first signs and symptoms appear. It will be accompanied by cold or flu or in some cases it can come unaccompanied by other conditions. You have to remember that acute bronchitis is contagious. It is usually transmitted through coughing where the virus or bacteria will be released in the air causing someone who breathes in the virus or bacteria to get infected. It is important that whenever you need to cough, you should cover your mouth with a damp cloth to prevent most of the virus or bacteria particles from getting airborne.
For some people, after the bronchitis has been treated, they will still continue coughing. However, if the coughing lasts longer than a month, it is recommended that you should consult your physician immediately as some other condition aside from the bronchitis may be causing you to cough.
There are ways to prevent bronchitis. To do this, all you need to do is wash your hands thoroughly and frequently, drink lots of fluid, and get lots of rest. You have to remember that bronchitis is caused by viruses or bacteria that can be transferred from an infected area to your hands and from your hands to your lungs.
Always remember that once you see the signs and symptoms associated with bronchitis, you should consult your doctor immediately in order to make a quick diagnosis of your condition and let you treat it at its early stages.
Tags: acute asthma, acute asthmatic bronchitis, acute bronchitis, air pollution, alcohol, alcoholic, asthma, asthmatic, asthmatic bronchitis, bronchitis, chest pain, chest pains, colds, cough, coughing, level, of the body, persistent cough, pollution, respiratory system, room humidifier, shortness of breath, signs and symptoms of bronchitis, symptoms of bronchitis, testing, treatment, treatment for acute bronchitisRelated posts
Basilar Migraine – Not Just Another Migraine
Basilar migraine or basilar artery migraine as it is sometimes called, is one of those atypical headaches that can have frightening symptoms. This pain is unlike usual migraines. The pain is usually severe, throbbing at localized at the back of the head. It may be accompanied by severe vertigo (the sense that the room is spinning), difficulty walking and most commonly, visual disturbances.
Now what is meant by visual disturbances? Well, just about anything from blurry vision to blindness. This is caused by the fact that the basilar artery, where the problem is happening, is located in the back of the head. This artery feeds blood and oxygen to the back of the brain where the visual centers are located..if you have a problem in that area it definitely affects your vision.
Other common migraine headache symptoms may also occur such as nausea, vomiting and having the light and sounds bother you. Rarer symptoms are jerking movements of the eyes, ringing in the ears and loss of consciousness. Severe vertigo is quite common and can be disabling.
Why Is This Serious? A basilar migraine can increase the risk of stroke. Although a neurovascular condition like all other migraines, one of the problems is that aneurysms (an out-pouching of the artery) may occur in this area.
If caught, aneurysms are generally followed with more imaging such as a CT angiogram which gets a much better look at it. Surgery is recommended to “clip” it when it gets to a certain size. For cerebral aneurysms the limit is usually 10mm although some surgeons have told me they will do the procedure on a smaller one if the patient has neurological symptoms.
Testing For Basilar Migraine If you present to a doctor with the symptoms of basilar migraine, unfortunately since it mimics a stroke so closely, be prepared for a bit of a full work up to rule out stroke. This most probably will include an MRI or CT of the brain right away and possibly an MRA to look at the arteries of the brain. Again this would not only find a stroke but also find an aneurysm. A full examination including some testing for vertigo and hearing (if necessary) should be performed.
If the doctor is suspicious about possible seizures (they sometimes present with vertigo and headache) then an EEG is necessary. This is just a study to look at the electrical waves in the brain and involves wearing some scalp electrodes and getting your hair messed up!
Treatment Once a stroke has been ruled out, treatment is pretty straight forward. If the headache is disabling and occurs a couple of times a month, then you need to be on daily therapy for awhile, perhaps a few months to a year.
While many preventative medications for migraine are familiar to most headache sufferers, the drug of choice for this type of headache is verapamil taken once or twice a day. If you cannot take this medication, a beta-blocker such as Inderal is a good choice also.
If an attack does occur, most people can manage it well with a small dose of a pain killer. Many people also wonder why they cannot take their usual medications for migraine but unfortunately, all triptans such as Imitrex, are contra-indicated for this.
Tags: aging, angiogram, basilar artery, basilar artery migraine, basilar migraine, brain, headache, headache symptoms, headaches, imitrex, migrain, migraine, migraine headache, migraine headache symptoms, migraines, stroke, surgery, testing, treatmentRelated posts
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