Stroke is a life-threatening pathology, as it is characterized by a sudden disruption of the blood supply to the brain. In this case, massive death of nerve cells occurs and the connection between them is disrupted, as well as focal or cerebral neurological symptoms appear, which last more than a day and can lead to death.
If earlier such a diagnosis was made mainly for the elderly, then recently the intense rhythm of life contributes to the fact that even young people are often exposed to such a serious disease as a brain stroke. Prevention of this disease can save not only from long-term disability, but also save lives.
How dangerous is a stroke?
Stroke is a very serious illness. In addition to the fact that this ailment can lead to sudden death, it can also make a person disabled who was previouslypractically he althy. The most common complications are:
- Paresis - partial impairment or restriction of movement in the limbs.
- Paralysis - complete immobilization of the limbs, lesions of one side are more often observed. These are the so-called hemiparesis, when the arm and leg on one side do not work at the same time.
- Speech disorders.
- Vestibular disorders.
All these complications lead to long-term and often even life-long disability, after which it is difficult for people who were quite he althy until recently to adapt to the social environment.
Risk factors for stroke
Prevention of cerebral stroke is aimed at controlling the factors that can cause this disease, and their correction. These include:
- Hypertension and spikes in blood pressure, the risk increases in proportion to the numbers of blood pressure.
- Atherosclerosis.
- Diseases of the cardiovascular system. For example, atrial fibrillation increases the risk of ischemic stroke.
- Prolonged stress and nervous tension.
- Age after 50 years. The older the patient, the higher the risk of developing this disease.
- Violation of metabolic processes.
- Diseases of the endocrine system, such as diabetes.
- Smoking increases the risk of stroke by 50%.
- Acquisition of alcohol and drugs.
- Long-term use of certain drugs, such ashormonal contraceptives or anticoagulants.
- Sex factor - in men after the age of 45, the risk of stroke is higher than in women.
- Heredity.
- Inactivity.
- Obesity and overweight.
Primary and secondary prevention
All these factors can provoke the development of the serious disease we are considering. Prevention of cerebral stroke is divided into primary and secondary. Primary involves the prevention of risk factors for the disease. It can be carried out both on a national scale and on an individual basis.
Secondary is aimed at eliminating risk factors for stroke, which under certain circumstances can provoke a relapse of the disease. The most effective method is regular preventive examinations, which allow timely detection and prevention of unwanted deviations and, if necessary, with the help of drugs to prevent the disease. In addition, both primary and secondary prevention of stroke is carried out not only with medication, but also with the help of traditional medicine, as well as by abandoning bad habits and harmful factors.
Diet
Prevention of cerebral stroke at home involves proper nutrition, which will help prevent adverse factors that can provoke the disease. Such a diet should include a sufficient amount of fresh vegetables and fruits, lean meat(chicken breast, veal, beef), lean fish and nuts.
Products containing animal fats should be excluded. It is also undesirable to consume easily digestible carbohydrates. These include all sweets, muffins, pastries. As a dessert, you can use dried fruits (prunes, dried apricots) within reasonable limits. Chocolate is allowed in limited quantities. It is useful to include slowly absorbed carbohydrates for breakfast, it is advisable to use them with fresh vegetables. It can be buckwheat or millet porridge with a vitamin salad seasoned with olive oil.
You should avoid fried and smoked foods, foods containing cholesterol (chicken yolk, lard, etc.), preservatives, pickles and marinades. Excess s alt retains water in the body and thus can provoke an attack of hypertension. And this, in turn, is an unfavorable factor that can give impetus to the development of a stroke.
Overweight people want to lose weight. But this must be done gradually. It is impossible to lose weight sharply, as this can provoke various he alth problems, including a brain stroke. Without any harm to the body, you can get rid of 2.5-3 extra pounds per month.
Physical activity
Regular exercise strengthens blood vessels and the body as a whole. But they should be moderate, especially for patients who have had a stroke of the brain. It is impossible to overload an already weakened body. All physical exercisesshould be done at a slow pace. Prevention of this kind will help a weakened body to tone up.
Bad habits
Complete rejection of bad habits significantly reduces the risk of developing atherosclerosis of the blood vessels of the brain and the formation of blood clots. These measures can prevent stroke of the brain. Prevention of this kind improves the quality and increases the life expectancy of patients who have already had this disease. Reducing the number of cigarettes smoked is not prevention and does not reduce the likelihood of an ischemic attack. Only a complete cessation of smoking will benefit.
Some sources report that a small amount of red wine is good for blood vessels, but this is not true. The latest findings of scientists indicate that alcohol in any quantity, except for harm, does nothing. In order to cleanse the blood vessels, it is better to use proven folk remedies.
Traditional medicine
Prevention of cerebral stroke by folk remedies is possible only after consulting a doctor. It is most often used in conjunction with other methods, such as drug therapy. You can use the following tools:
- Infusion of Kombucha. It is consumed half a cup 3-5 times a day.
- Horse chestnut alcohol tincture. 30 drops are pre-dissolved in a small amount of water or tea and taken 2 times a day (morning and evening). Prepare this tincture as follows: half a literthe jar is completely filled with flowers or fruits of horse chestnut and filled to the brim with vodka. Clean the jar in a dark place for 14 days. After filtering and pour the resulting tincture into a dark glass dish.
- Fresh ginger root - added to tea or any drinks. Dry crushed ginger can be added to meat dishes.
- Crushed nutmeg - add to any dishes. Nutmeg powder can be held in the mouth for a few minutes, then swallowed with cold boiled water.
- Before going to bed, it is useful to instill an aqueous solution of mummy 2 drops into each nasal passage.
- With high cholesterol levels, to prevent atherosclerosis, which can cause a stroke, it is useful to eat foods containing natural statins. These include chanterelle mushrooms and herring. But the herring should not be s alty, to which we are accustomed, but steamed or in the oven. A large amount of s alt makes this product not very suitable for a he althy diet.
- To cleanse the blood vessels, it is useful to use a remedy made from honey, lemon and garlic. All ingredients are taken in equal quantities. Lemon and garlic are crushed in a blender. Before this, the garlic must be peeled, and the lemon should be washed thoroughly. By the way, citrus is ground right with the peel. The resulting product can be stored in the refrigerator and taken daily, one teaspoon.
Recall again: prevention of cerebral strokefolk remedies should be carried out under the supervision of the attending physician and on his recommendation. Only under such conditions will it be useful.
Prevention of cerebral stroke. Drugs
This option is considered by many patients to be the most effective. Let's discuss the pros and cons.
As you know, those who are at risk for such a formidable disease as a cerebral stroke should be especially careful. Prevention secondary in this case involves the use of drugs. In addition, often after a transient ischemic attack, doctors recommend carotid reconstructive surgery to patients, which can save their lives.
People suffering from hypertension are advised to measure blood pressure twice a day and record these figures in a special diary. At the appointment with a cardiologist, these records must be shown to the doctor so that he can choose an effective treatment for hypertension, which is a risk factor for the development of stroke - both hemorrhagic and ischemic. Taking antihypertensive drugs such as Lozap and Lozap plus may be prescribed to treat hypertension. In addition, for an emergency reduction in blood pressure, you can use, for example, the drug Kapoten and diuretics, for example, Furosemide (Lasix). Patients should take antihypertensive drugs for a long time, until stable blood pressure levels stabilize. It is tedious to correct therapy with such means under the supervision of a cardiologist or therapist. Such prevention of ischemic strokeof the brain prolongs the active life of patients and allows them to feel satisfactory for quite a long time. What other drugs do doctors prescribe to their patients?
To avoid a recurrence of a cerebral stroke, prevention must necessarily include the use of antiplatelet agents and antimicrobial therapy. Quite often, cardiologists recommend taking medications such as Aspirin, Ticlopidin, Clopidogrel, Dipyridamole. Such therapy is usually designed for a long period. It can last for years. It is important to periodically monitor platelet aggregation activity. When it increases, it is necessary prescribe antiplatelet or anticoagulant drugs, such as Warfarin, to patients to prevent blood clots and thereby prevent stroke.
Carrying out the prevention of cerebral stroke in atherosclerosis is aimed at lowering cholesterol. Increasing it by only 10% of the norm increases the risk of stroke by up to 25%. Excess low-density cholesterol (also called bad sticky cholesterol) contributes to the formation of atherosclerotic plaques on the walls of blood vessels. With high blood pressure, this increases the likelihood of developing stroke. How to prevent stroke of the brain in this case? Cholesterol levels should be kept in the normal range. To reduce it, lipid-lowering therapy is used, which involves taking statins. Medicines in this group include, for example,Simvastatin, Niacin, Pravastatin. As a rule, these medicines should be taken by patients for life.
In addition, it is necessary to take complexes that strengthen the walls of blood vessels, increasing their tone and elasticity. Doctors recommend Ginkgo Biloba FORTE, which contains active substances of plant origin that reduce the permeability of capillary walls, strengthen the vascular wall and normalize its tone. Thus, it is possible to provide comprehensive prevention of coronary heart disease and myocardial infarction.
Differences in the development of stroke in men and women
- According to statistics, women are more likely to have a stroke in the age period after 60 years, while in men the risk of its development exists already after 40 years.
- Men bear the disease more easily than women.
- Full recovery is much more common in men after a stroke than in women.
- Statistics show that mortality among women after this disease is significantly higher than among men.
- Female risk factors for stroke: contraceptive use, migraines, abnormal pregnancy, and a higher risk of thrombosis.
Prevention of cerebral stroke in men and women
To talk about the prevention of this disease, you need to understand the causes of its occurrence. So, in women who smoke and take oral contraceptives over the age of 30, the risk of stroke increases by 25%, compared withnon-smokers and women who prefer other types of contraception. From this follows the logical conclusion that the prevention of cerebral stroke in women with such bad habits and measures of protection comes down to abandoning them.
Also, people who are highly impressionable and not stress-resistant, with frequent mood swings, are more prone to stroke. As a preventive measure, such patients can be advised daily walks in the fresh air, a contrast shower in the morning, and in more advanced cases, taking sedatives, but they can be taken only after consulting a doctor. If you suffer from insomnia, then as a sleeping pill it is useful to drink half a glass of warm herbal tea or chamomile infusion before going to bed.
How to prevent a brain stroke? Prevention of this disease should be aimed at reducing and eliminating risk factors. For this purpose, medical examinations and medical examinations of the population are carried out annually. Be sure to take tests for cholesterol and blood glucose. When he alth problems are identified, steps must be taken to eliminate them. It is advisable for all citizens, regardless of their age and gender, to give up bad habits.
