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WHAT IS A STROKE?

A stroke is a sudden interruption of blood supply to a part of the brain as a result of obstruction or bleeding. 

The absence of blood - therefore oxygen - quickly leads to irreversible damage to brain tissue, thus affecting essential faculties such as movement, sight, memory, and reasoning.

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Did you know that every two seconds, someone gets hit by an stroke?

There are two main types of stroke

An ischemic stroke

(85% of cases)

This occurs when a clot blocks the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain.

Clots usually form in areas where arteries have narrowed or become blocked over time by the build-up of fatty plaques, a process called atherosclerosis.

Besides age, the main risk factors are diabetes, smoking, hypertension, high cholesterol, and obesity.

A hemorrhagic stroke

(15% of cases)

This occurs when a blood vessel bursts inside the skull, bleeds, and compresses the brain.

The main cause of a hemorrhagic stroke is high blood pressure.

The main risk factors are being overweight, excessive alcohol consumption, and smoking

TIME IS BRAIN!

When a stroke occurs, the patient loses 2 million neurons every minute. Significant progress has been made in recent years with treatments such as thrombolysis and, more recently, thrombectomies. The latter technique doubles the chances of avoiding serious sequelae after an ischemic stroke related to the obstruction of a large artery. But to be effective, these medical interventions must be carried out as quickly as possible.

The statistics

1 stroke every 40 seconds in the US

2nd cause of death worldwide

1 in 5 people will have a stroke during their lifetime

While it mainly affects people over 65 years of age, 25% of strokes are among younger people. 

Furthermore, in recent years the number of strokes affecting young people has increased significantly.

Here’s a striking illustration brought to us by the UK’s National Health Service:

How can you spot a stroke?

There are, nevertheless, three typical symptoms that should immediately make you think of a stroke (these signs are the most common; they are present in 50 to 60% of cases. For the other cases, our digital neurologist will provide even more valuable help.)

Should one of these three signs appear suddenly, contact the

EMERGENCY SERVICES IMMEDIATELY!

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