What is Brain Attack

By Ujala Cygnus

Reviewed by : Jalaz Jain

January 17, 2023

What is a brain attack?

A brain attack or stroke is a medical emergency that can be life-threatening. It occurs when brain cells die, interrupting the blood supply to an area of the brain. If the blood flow is stopped for several seconds, the brain cells will die and the abilities controlled by that area of the brain are lost.

Symptoms

Strokes are very serious and can be devastating both physically and emotionally. The most common symptoms include:

Confusion

Slurred speech

Difficulty understanding speech

Paralysis/numbness of the face, arm, or leg. There might be sudden numbness, weakness, or paralysis in the face, arm, or leg. This mostly affects only one side of the body. Try raising both your arms at the same time. If one arm falls, you may be having a brain attack. Also, when you try to smile, one side of your face may droop.

Problems seeing in one or both eyes. You may suddenly witness blurred or blackened vision in one or both eyes, or you may see double.

Who is at more risk of having a stroke?

When you have a stroke, your blood supply to your brain is cut off. This can lead to brain damage and death if not treated quickly.

Your risk factors for stroke include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, atrial fibrillation (AF), tobacco use/smoking, and alcohol use. If you are at high risk of stroke due to these factors, it’s important that you take steps to lower your risk further by changing your lifestyle habits.

How is a stroke treated?

In case somebody is having a stroke, it is advised to call an ambulance instead of driving to the hospital. The reason is time is very crucial when it comes to a stroke. If an ambulance is called, the med team would be able to work on you during your journey to the hospital.

A stroke is a serious condition that can cause permanent damage to your brain. It’s important to know the difference between ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke and what treatments are available for each type.

Ischemic stroke

If you have a thrombolytic (a “clot-busting” drug) to break up blood clots within 3 hours of the first symptoms of an ischemic stroke, you may get a clot-busting drug called a thrombolytic to break up blood clots.

Doctors may also treat such strokes with other medicines. They might suggest blood thinners, as well as surgery to remove the clot.

Hemorrhagic stroke

Suppose you have a hemorrhagic stroke and need treatment right away. In that case, doctors may give you medicine or surgery right away, or they will call an ambulance so they can take you directly to the hospital emergency room, where they will evaluate your stroke symptoms and decide if they need more tests or treatment before they can treat you.

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