Types of strokes: causes and symptoms
Stroke is a sudden development of ischemia that occurs in the brain as a result of blockage of the vessel, or hemorrhage. The risk of this condition increases with age, and the death rate from stroke is on the third place all over the world.
What are the types of strokes? The main types of stroke are ischemic and hemorrhagic.
Ischemic stroke
This type of disease occurs more often than others, and is about 80% of all cases. The average age of those affected by this pathology usually ranges from 50 to 60 years.
The risk group for this stroke includes people with diseases:
- myocardial infarction;
- diabetes;
- rheumatism with development of cardiac defect;
- various rhythm disturbances.
Ischemic stroke is divided into the following types, depending on the cause of its occurrence and location of the site.
Atherothrombotic
Develops as a result of atherosclerosis, when there is a blockage of the lumen of the arteries of small and medium caliber. This increases the likelihood of a thrombosis with complete blockage and the development of ischemia and necrosis.
For this type of pathology, gradual development is characteristic, it is often preceded by transient ischemic attacks. Symptoms develop gradually. Very often the manifestations of the disease appear during a night rest.
Cardioembolic
It happens in the case when the patient has heart diseases, in which the parietal thrombi form in his cavity. These are vices or endocarditis of various etiologies.
Often the sharp onset of stroke symptoms occurs after an attack of paroxysmal tachycardia. The onset of the illness is sudden, occurs in the daytime, with the full consciousness of the patient.
Hemodynamic
This type of stroke develops against a background of a sharp decrease in blood pressure, or if the heart is weak( bradyarrhythmia, bradycardia, myocardial ischemia).
The onset may be gradual or sudden, with varying sizes of lesion area.
Lacunar
It is caused by blood flow disturbance in arteries of small caliber. Most often occurs against a background of hypertension, the symptomatology occurs within two to three hours.
This type of disease is usually found in the subcortical layer, with the lesion center not exceeding, on average, 1.5 centimeters. Characterized by focal symptomatology, without the appearance of meningeal symptoms.
Hemorrhagic stroke
Appears against the background of high psycho-emotional or physical overload. It appears after the integrity of the vascular wall is broken, and there is a hemorrhage and the formation of a cerebral hematoma. Damaged brain cells, on the site of the lesion there is swelling.
With this disorder, a variety of symptoms develop( vomiting, redness of the face, inhibition, impaired consciousness, neurological abnormalities, coma).
Subarachnoid hemorrhage
Occurs in a young person due to rupture of an aneurysm or traumatic brain injury. It develops sharply, with the appearance of nausea and vomiting, dizziness, often a loss of consciousness.
The patient speaks of a headache that resembles a "blow to the head", often marked by psychomotor agitation. It constitutes from 1 to 7% of all cases of acute circulatory disturbance, and often leads to the death of the patient.
Massive lesion
Massive lesion, or an extensive stroke, is the name of all the types of the disease that occur with a large area capture, and are among the most severe pathologies. For him, the following are characteristic:
- cerebral and focal symptoms;
- paresis from the side opposite the focus;
- impaired consciousness;
- edema of the brain;
- tonic convulsions or spasms;
- increased tonus of extensor musculature;
- vegetative disorders and trophic changes.
Of oculomotor disorders, the following are distinguished:
- strabismus development;
- anisocoria( enlargement of the pupil area from the lesion);
- decrease and total absence of the pupil on exposure to light.
A similar pathology occurs when the blood flow of large main arteries is disturbed, and most often leads to the death or lifelong disability of the patient.
If a massive unilateral lesion occurs, a left side stroke develops, in which case a paralysis of the right side of the body occurs.
Spinal cord injury
Acute blood flow disorder in the spinal cord region is termed as spinal stroke. It occurs mainly in elderly people.
Earlier, such a pathology was very difficult to diagnose, but with the advent of modern research methods( CT, MRI, angiography), the detection of the disease became possible.
Some specialists distinguish symptoms-precursors of a spinal stroke:
- pain syndrome of the most diverse localization;
- pain and heaviness in the head, dizziness;
- sleep disturbance and memory problems;
- development of sensation of numbness of the lower limbs during a long walk in the absence of pain, relief comes after rest.
Clinical symptoms in a disease such as a stroke of the spinal cord, is polyvalent, and depends on the location and severity of the disorders.
Small stroke
A small, or micro stroke, is called because of rapid leveling of neurological symptoms.
Usually it passes within 2-21 days from the moment of its appearance, and resembles symptoms of a transient ischemic attack. However, unlike the latter, with a small stroke, a foci of necrosis occurs and persists.
A small stroke is based on two or three signs of a neurological deficit:
- gait disorder;
- causeless change of mood( fun or anger);
- epileptic seizures;
- anosmia;
- disorders of oculomotor functions;
- paresis of the limbs;
- increased muscle tone;
- aphasia.
This type of disease is most often observed in individuals between 25 and 45 years of age, and is a variant of the risk of developing a later stroke. With frequent recurrences, it is possible to reduce intellectual abilities, and even the development of dementia.
Brainstem lesion
In the development of a pathological process( ischemic or hemorrhagic), a stroke can also develop in the brainstem, which is considered to be the most dangerous for a person's life.
This is because the vital centers are localized in this place, which are responsible for the work of the main internal organs.
Stem stroke is usually accompanied by the following symptoms:
- Dysphagia. The appearance of a violation of the function of swallowing leads to the fact that the patient is transferred to parenteral nutrition. In some cases, when you try to eat something, food can get into the airways and cause choking or aspiration pneumonia.
- In half of the cases of this disease, there is bulbar syndrome, which is a violation of speech function.
- The patient may experience severe dizziness that does not allow him to move freely. He can walk only with outside help.