I HAVE DECIDED TO DISCUSS STROKES FOR MY PATHOLOGICAL CONDITION. STROKES ARE THE THIRD LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN THE U.S. THERE ARE 600,000 NEW OR RECURRENT STROKES EACH YEAR.

SYMPTOMS OF A STROKE INCLUDE TROUBLE WALKING, SPEAKING, SEEING, AND A HEADACHE. ALSO, PARALYSIS OR NUMBNESS ON ONE SIDE OF THE BODY.

STROKES ARE CLASSIFIED INTO TWO MAJOR GROUPS: ISCHEMIC AND HEMORRHAGIC. HEMORRHAGIC STROKE ARE DUE TO RUPTURE OF A CEREBRAL BLOOD VESSEL THAT CAUSES BLEEDING AROUND OR INTO THE BRAIN. HEMORRHAGIC STROKES MAKE UP 16% OF ALL STROKES. ISCHEMIC STROKES, WHICH ACCOUNT FOR 84% OF ALL STROKES, ARE SUBDIVIDED INTO FOUR CATEGORIES: THROMBOTIC, EMBOLIC, LACUNAR, AND HYPOPERFUSION INFARCTIONS.

A THROMBOTIC STROKE HAPPENS WHEN A CLOT FORMS WITHIN A CEREBRAL ARTERY. AN EMBOLIC STROKE OCCURS WHEN A DETACHED BLOOD CLOT, USUALLY FROM THE HEART, FLOWS INTO AND BLOCKS A CEREBRAL ARTERY. A LACUNAR INFARCTION IS WHEN THE SMALL ARTERIES IN THE BRAIN THICKEN CAUSING AN OCCLUSION OF THE ARTERY. HYPOPERFUSION INFARCTIONS OCCUR FROM RESPIRATORY OR CARDIAC FAILURE.

MEDICATION IS THE STANDARD TREATMENT FOR STROKES. TISSUE PLASMINOGEN ACTIVATOR (TPA) IS A CLOT-BUSTING DRUG USED TO DISSOLVE THE BLOOD CLOT CAUSING THE STROKE. ALSO, ANTICOAGULANTS, E.G. HEPARIN, AND ANITPLATELET DRUG ARE USED. SURGERY IS A FINAL OPTION.

FOLLOWING A STROKE 50 TO 70 PERCENT REGAIN A USABLE AMOUNT OF FUNCTION. 15 TO 30 PERCENT ARE PERMANENTLY DISABLED. THREE MONTHS AFTER A STROKE 20 PERCENT REQUIRE INSTITUTIONAL CARE.

Labels: HEAD PATHOLOGY