Strokes

In 2018, WHO issued survey results that showed that stroke ranks second as the most common cause of death in the world, having reached around 6 million deaths during 2010–2016. Every year, new cases of stroke increase, with an average of 13 million new cases being reported and 5.5 million other cases ending in death. This can happen due to a lack of public understanding of stroke itself, which includes the signs, symptoms, and dangers of stroke.

Stroke is a part of cardiocerebrovascular disease, which is classified as a catastrophic disease because it has broad economic and social impacts. Stroke is the number two cause of death in the world every year. Data shows 1 in 4 people have a stroke; don't let us be one of them. because strokes are preventable. Various health promotion efforts have been made by the government to increase public awareness of this threat or danger to health, as well as efforts to identify and treat oneself.

A stroke is defined as a decrease in the function of the central nervous system caused by a blockage or rupture of blood vessels in the brain. Based on the cause, stroke is then categorized into two types: hemorrhagic (bleeding) stroke and nonhemorrhagic (blockage) stroke. Then, what is the difference between these two things?

Ischemic stroke, or blockage, is the most common type of stroke. About 87% of stroke cases in the world belong to this type. Ischemic stroke occurs when blood flow to the blood vessels in the brain is blocked so that the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the brain is blocked, causing hypoxia (lack of supply) and leading to the death of brain tissue or cells, which can lead to decreased brain cell function. This, which causes symptoms of central nervous system disorders.

Stroke has a variety of signs and symptoms, which include impaired conscious function, motor or limb disturbances, sensory or tactile disturbances, disturbances in the speech center, nausea, vomiting, severe headaches, and decreased function of the central nervous system (shouldered lips, unable to close or open eyes, unable to swallow, and tending to choke easily).

In general, stroke symptoms can be quickly recognized and treated with the FAST method. The FAST method is an abbreviation of F (face), A (weakness of limbs), S (speech difficulty), and T (time). This method will really help us be more sensitive to the common signs and symptoms of a stroke.

The second type of stroke is a hemorrhagic or bleeding stroke. This type of stroke occurs when the rupture of a blood vessel in the brain causes blood to pool in the brain cells, resulting in an imbalance of fluid pressure in the environment of the brain cells and leading to brain cell damage. Rupture of these blood vessels can be caused by several factors, such as high blood pressure, abnormalities in the blood vessel walls, and blockages in the blood vessels, which result in pressure that exceeds the resistance capacity of the blood vessel walls. In hemorrhagic stroke, the hope of recovery is low because the brain cell damage caused is permanent and cannot be corrected with oxygenation, like in ischemic stroke. A separate specialist's treatment is needed in this case of stroke.

In general, complications of stroke depend on the speed, location, and initial treatment. This greatly affects the size or extent of dead tissue, which will have a broad impact resulting in the emergence of several complications, such as temporary or permanent disturbances of body functions causing a decrease in quality of life, decreased muscle mass due to reduced activity, disturbance of nutritional intake, and finally death.

Therefore, prevention is an important thing that we must do so that we don't have a stroke, namely maintaining a healthy diet and activity patterns, routinely taking medicines, and seeking out health services if we have a history of diseases that can cause strokes.