Stroke 2 by

glpiper — 2025-09-03 00:02:41 UTC

What causes strokes, and who is most likely to have them? We chose to study this because we wanted to see how a stroke affected the brain and why it occured.

Blockage in blood vessels

ecvidale — 2025-09-03 00:05:12 UTC

A stroke is caused by a blockage in the blood vessels and the causes of this is often due to a clot.

Family History of Strokes

rnewcom4 — 2025-09-03 00:28:18 UTC

A stroke is also caused if a parent or other family has had a stroke in the past, especially at a younger age

Certain lifestyles

glpiper — 2025-09-03 00:30:43 UTC

People that are at risk of a stroke include, those that are overweight or obese, those that lack in physical activity, heavy or binge drinkers, and users of illegal drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine.

Age

ecvidale — 2025-09-03 00:31:40 UTC

Strokes are more likely to occur in a person who is age 65 or older.

Uncontrolled risks

glpiper — 2025-09-03 00:32:18 UTC

African American and Hispanic patients have a higher risk of stroke than people of other races. Men have a higher risk of stroke than women. Women are usually older when they have strokes, and they're more likely to die of strokes than men.

Medical conditions/health factors

glpiper — 2025-09-03 00:37:56 UTC

Some medical conditions may cause strokes, such as, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease (such as atrial fibrillation), sickle cell disease, such as blood-clotting or vascular disorders, high cholesterol, etc.

Hemorrhagic Stroke

bcazel — 2025-09-03 00:38:12 UTC

A Hemorrhagic is a specific stroke. It is caused by a week/damaged blood vessel. The stroke occurs when a blood vessel in your brain ruptures. The medical term for bleeding inside the body is called a hemorrhage. This bleeding causes the brain to not receive the proper blood and oxygen levels it needs to survive. Resulting in the brain not working properly. Some warning signs of a hemorrhagic stroke include loss in balance, sudden vision loss, and/or slurred speech.

Cerebrum

glpiper — 2025-09-10 00:19:54 UTC

Brain parenchyma:

Cerebral Cortex: The outer layer of the cerebrum, responsible for higher order functions like movement, sensation, language, reasoning, and memory. Damage here depends on the region affected:

Frontal lobe: Motor control, speech production, executive functions.

Parietal lobe: Sensory processing, spatial awareness.

Temporal lobe: Language comprehension, memory, hearing.

Occipital lobe: Visual processing

Middle Cerebral Artery

ecvidale — 2025-09-10 00:27:21 UTC

The most common artery that is involved in an acute stroke and it branches directly from the internal carotid artery that consists of M1, M2, M3, M4. These branches are what tie back to the frontal, temporal, and the parietal lobes as they provide blood supply.

Cerebrum

glpiper — 2025-09-10 00:29:13 UTC

When a stroke affects the left side of the brain, it typically impacts the right side of the body and may result in the following: paralysis or weakness on the right side of the body, altered sensation on the right side, difficulties with speech and language, challenges with abstract thinking, impaired memory and cognitive processing, and a slow and cautious approach to tasks.

When a stroke affects the right side of the brain, the effects could be the following: weakness or paralysis on the left side of the body, changes or loss of sensation on the left side, visual disturbances or vision loss, difficulty with spatial awareness and visual imagery, challenges with memory and cognitive functions, and a quick, curious, and impulsive behavioral style.

Blood Vessels

rnewcom4 — 2025-09-10 00:32:55 UTC

When the brain's blood vessels are narrowed or blocked it can result in a Ischemic stroke. This is caused by reduce blood flow from fatty deposits being built up in the blood flow, and even blood clots. Ultimately, fatty deposits, blood clots, and other debris getting logged in the blood vessels to the brain results in a Ischemic Stroke. When a blood vessel in the brain leaks or ruptures it results in a Hemorrhagic stroke. Some causes for this is high blood pressure, bulges at weak spots in the blood vessel walls, and head trauma.

Brain Stem:

glpiper — 2025-09-10 00:36:02 UTC

When a stroke occurs in the brainstem, it can impact both sides of the body. In the most severe cases, it may lead to a condition known as locked in syndrome. This is a state in which the individual is fully conscious and mentally alert but unable to speak or move due to almost paralysis, except for vertical eye movements and blinking. Despite being unable to move or speak, the person can hear, understand, think, and reason. Communication is typically achieved through controlled eye movements. Other effects of a brain stem stroke could be: breathing and heart function problems,

trouble with body temperature control, balance and coordination problems, weakness or paralysis, trouble chewing, swallowing, and speaking, and vision changes.

Headache

ecvidale — 2025-09-17 00:26:51 UTC

A more common symptom that can be commonly mistaken for something else

Blood Tests

ecvidale — 2025-09-17 00:31:54 UTC

A Blood Test can be done to see if you have a stroke by testing if your blood clots to fast or if your blood sugar is to high or low

Numbness, Weakness or Paralysis in the face, arm or leg

rnewcom4 — 2025-09-17 00:32:02 UTC

This often only results on one side of the face. One side of the face may drop when trying to smile. You can test them for a stroke by having them lift both arms up, and if one begins to fall then it can be a sign for a stroke.

Blood clot treatment

glpiper — 2025-09-17 00:32:42 UTC

TPA is a clot-busting IV medication, it is the standard treatment for ischemic stroke. It works by dissolving the clot to restore blood flow and must be given within 4.5 hours after symptoms started. Early treatment improves survival and recovery.

Speach difficulties

bcazel — 2025-09-17 00:33:47 UTC

Slurred speech, trouble understanding words, or inability to speak.

Trouble Walking(Balance Issues)

ecvidale — 2025-09-17 00:36:36 UTC

Loss of coordination or stumbling especially when walking.

CT Scan

rnewcom4 — 2025-09-17 00:39:30 UTC

A CT scan uses series of X-rays to show a detailed image of your brain. It can also show bleeding in the brain, ischemic stroke, a tumor or other conditions.

Surgery

glpiper — 2025-09-17 00:39:54 UTC

A procedure to open a narrowed artery caused by plaque buildup. One option is carotid endarterectomy, a surgery that removes plaque from a carotid artery in the neck to improve blood flow to the brain. Another option is angioplasty with stenting, where a catheter is guided through an artery to the blockage, a balloon is inflated to widen the artery, and a stent is placed to keep it open.

Memory

ecvidale — 2025-09-24 00:24:35 UTC

When someone has a stroke all of that persons memory is affected especially the short-term memory. One of the consequences of having a stroke is having your verbal memory affected, and some examples of verbal memory issues that affect every day life include: Naming items on a shopping list, visual memory, recognizing faces, and more.

Swallowing

bcazel — 2025-09-24 00:29:41 UTC

When someone suffers from a stroke they have long term effects. One of the long term effects is inability to swallow normally. It affects your ability to swallow pills, eat food, and drink liquids. Sometimes this is temporary, but it could also be permanent for some

Speech and language

glpiper — 2025-09-24 00:35:34 UTC

Studies show that 64% of stroke survivors suffer from speech and language problems after. There are 3 different common disorders, Aphasia, Dysarthria, and Apraxia of speech.

Aphasia is often caused by a stroke in the left hemisphere of the brain. Two main language areas of the brain reside here, Broca's area, and Wernicke's area. When these are effected, it causes trouble speaking, retrieving words, repeating words, and understanding language.

Unlike aphasia, dysarthria is considered a motor speech disorder. Dysarthria occurs when brain or nerve damage results in weakness of the muscles used to speak. Symptoms may include, speaking in way that is incomprehensible, speaking too loudly or quietly, or at a fast or slow pace, speech may sound nasally, difficulty moving the lips, jaw, and/or tongue. Apraxia is when the signals sent to the brain to use certain muscles to speak are disrupted, therefore one cannot properly move the muscles, such as the lips and tongue. Symptoms of Apraxia include, difficulty producing or repeating sounds, speech errors, speaking slowly or not at all.

Speech Therapy

ecvidale — 2025-10-01 00:37:44 UTC

Speech Therapy ranges from about $100 to $250 in The U.S and it includes services such as a personalized treatment plan, Family Training, Therapy Sessions, etc. There are many types of insurance that would allow one to pursue treatment and some of these include Health Insurance Coverage, Medicare, Medicade, School-based services, and so much more. The odds of treatment are very likely through insurance as so many companies offer it no matter what age group you are in. However if one can not pursue treatment or does not want to pursue treatment then some long term consequences that will follow are problems such as memory, swallowing, Speech, and more.

Physical Therapy

rnewcom4 — 2025-10-01 00:41:04 UTC

The cost of treatment for physical therapy related to a stroke ranges between $640-$2160. The treatment is drastically covered if you have insurance as over about 50% of the cost is covered. The long-term consequences of not doing physical therapy following a stroke is difficulty in walking and keeping your balance.

Medication

glpiper — 2025-10-01 00:44:18 UTC

After a stroke, the patient may have to take medication as a long term treatment. Medications such as blood thinners are most commonly necessary such as antiplatelet drugs and anticoagulants. Antiplatelet drugs help prevent platelets from sticking together. A common brand of antiplatelts is Plavix, which is $640 per 30, 75 mg tablets before insurance, and $4 per 30, 75 mg tablets after insurance coverage. Anticoagulants are blood thinners that prevent new blood clots from forming and keep existing blood clots from getting larger. A common brand of anticoagulants is Eliquis, which is $815 per 60, 5 mg tablets before insurance and $488 per 60, 5 mg tablets after insurance.

It is highly likely that blood thinners would be covered by insurance as most commercial and government programs cover blood thinners. If a patient does not choose to take blood thinners, they may be at risk for a second stroke.

Counseling

ecvidale — 2025-10-08 00:25:46 UTC

Counseling is a form of treatment for patients who have experienced a stroke. It is designed to treat one who is diagnosed with any possible mental disorder such as depression, anxiety, and it is supposed to help the patient get in a better mental spot as well as filter out negative thoughts. It is designed to treat not just long term depression, but long term anxiety as well. In order to provide counseling for someone that person must be a registered and licensed therapist.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

rnewcom4 — 2025-10-08 00:35:41 UTC

CBT is a treatment that will help change the behavioral and thinking patterns of somebody who may be dealing with a short or long-term symptom. It would be designed to treat short or long-term depression, anxiety disorders, alcohol and drug use problems, marital problems, eating disorders, and severe mental illness. A CBT therapist, Psychologist, Pediatrician, and Neurologist mostly deliver this type of treatment.

Speech Therapy

glpiper — 2025-10-08 00:37:34 UTC

Post-stroke patients may get Aphasia, which occurs when a stroke damages the language network in the left frontal area of the brain. therefore they struggle with their speech/communication. They can get speech therapy to improve it. The most common way to approach it is behavioral and language therapy. A speech pathologist will help the patient with better understanding, speaking, writing, reading, and even non-verbal communication.

Physical Therapy - Walking&Balance

glpiper — 2025-10-22 00:33:28 UTC

A post-stroke patient may need to visit a physical therapist to strengthen their walking and balance. They loose the strong ability due muscle weakness, loss of sensation, concentration problems, etc. The physical therapist will create a plan to reach their desired goal. This may include walking on different surfaces, walking on a treadmill, stepping on stairs, mental practice, braces, and many other movement therapies. The timeline of being treated depends on how chronic the injury is and how motivated the patient is to recover.

Tissue Plasminogen Activator

ecvidale — 2025-10-22 00:40:31 UTC

One of the treatments to help with a Ischemic Stroke is called a "Tissue Plasminogen Activator." The purpose of this treatment is meant to break up blood clots in the brain. For the "Tissue Plasminogen Activator" it would be diagnosed to treat blood clots which is a long term effect as it leaves long lasting symptoms. A licensed and registered health care provider would be required to administer treatment

Physical Activity

ecvidale — 2025-10-29 00:32:54 UTC

A lifestyle change that could really help someone when it comes to recovering from a stroke is physical activity. Example of physical activity include cardio, weightlifting, biking, and more. On a scale of 1-10 1 being easy and 10 being really hard in terms of this lifestyle change the answer is it depends on the individual as they could already be out of shape or older which affects how difficult or not difficult it is. For most people though it would probably be a 5 or 6. A professional who would help guide this lifestyle change would be a registered physician.

Quit smoking

glpiper — 2025-10-29 00:33:54 UTC

In order to avoid another stroke, the patient has to cut out smoking (if applicable). Smoking causes an increase in blood pressure, therefore increasing the risk of strokes. As well as, the harmful chemicals in tobacco are absorbed into the bloodstream, which then damage the blood vessel walls. The damage of these walls leads to narrowing and hardening of arteries, therefore risking blood clots that lead to strokes. It will be hard for the patient to quit as smoking is addicting, however there are professionals they can talk to. The first professional they may need to see is their primary doctor, who will be the one to tell them to quit. After, they may be recommended to join support groups such as Quitline, etc, to help them along their journey to being smoke-free.

African Americans

rnewcom4 — 2025-11-05 00:39:09 UTC

African Americans are at a greater risk of stroke because they have do deal with chronic discrimination from racism. It's not fully clear why African Americans are at greater risk of stroke but racism increases their anxiety and depression. The special challenges they may face when getting care is majority of African Americans are overweight or obese, which can make it more difficult to complete physical activity.

55 and over

bcazel — 2025-11-05 00:41:43 UTC

The older population is more susceptible to having a stroke because they are more likely to have pre-existing medical conditions. They may have special challenges preventing a stroke because of their pre existing conditions. These conditions can lead to a stroke. Some examples of medical conditions that the older population suffers from are high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol. High blood pressure can cause strokes because it damages arteries throughout the brain.

Foundation Awareness App

ecvidale — 2025-11-19 00:31:02 UTC

One of the technologies that could help at least diagnose a stroke is the Foundation Awareness App. The way that it helps diagnose a stroke is it helps the user identify their symptoms and if the symptoms match the app has the ability to call 911. The app also has a GPS locater which means faster response times which could be the deciding factor in someones life being saved. A possible negative that could a rise from this is people could depend only on this app to get emergency help.

Video games

glpiper — 2025-11-19 00:36:06 UTC

After a stroke, video games can be beneficial towards recovery. It may be included in their treatment recovery plan by their physical therapist and/or occupational therapist. The patient may have cognitive and/or motor skill issues - video games may help them with neuro plasticity, which helps recover those lost abilities. Cognitively, video games promote communication between the brain's hemispheres. Physically, it helps muscle coordination by improving motor skills, rebuilding strength, and increase coordination in affected limbs. Some video games are a VR headset that requires the patient to move their whole body. Video games stimulate the release of dopamine, which can make the recovery process fun and keep the patient motivated. However, there is a risk of becoming addicted and the patient may not want to try any other sort of recovery exercises, which is a negative aspect of this technology.

Promoting Healthy Foods and Drinks

ecvidale — 2025-11-26 00:35:59 UTC

People especially influencers can really help promote healthy eating such as healthy snacks as well as eating fruits and vegetables. This targets every person as anybody can suffer from this condition but if there was a primary audience then older people would be it.

Alcohol Limits

ecvidale — 2025-11-26 00:39:40 UTC

Alcohol is something that could be limited to make sure that people can control their consumption since it raises blood pressure which could put many at risk for stroke. One way that we could possibly limit alcohol is by limiting how much someone could buy such as only being allowed to purchase a certain amount of ounces.