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There are both non-modifiable risk factors, those things we cannot change, and modifiable risk factors, those things that can be changed. And stroke prevention is far more effective than trying to treat a stroke after it has occurred. Stroke treatments are most effective if they can be used early after stroke symptoms occur. Emergency treatments can sometimes be used to restore the blood flow. In the most common type of stroke, called an ischemic stroke, or cerebral infarction, there's a lack of blood flow to an area of the brain leading the brain cells to begin to die off due to a lack of oxygen and other nutrients. The brain cells are affected very quickly after a stroke occurs. People with that type of hemorrhage typically present with a sudden onset of a very severe headache, unlike anything they've ever experienced before, and they should seek emergency medical care. But on occasion, that aneurysm can rupture, leading to bleeding into and surrounding the brain, a bleeding type of stroke called a subarachnoid hemorrhage. About two to three percent of the population has a brain aneurysm, and most never cause any symptoms. The risk of stroke is markedly increased in the days and weeks after those symptoms occur, so seek emergency evaluation to clarify why the symptoms occurred and how best to prevent a future stroke.Īn aneurysm is a small saccular-shaped or berry-shaped out-pouching off of an artery in the brain. The symptoms should not be ignored even if they are temporary.
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Sometimes stroke symptoms may be temporary, lasting only several minutes or hours, and this is called a transient ischemic attack. Time to call 911 should those symptoms occur. F for facial weakness, A for arm weakness, S for speech slurring, and T for time. The fast acronym, F.A.S.T., is a good way of remembering stroke symptoms and what to do if you or a friend or loved one experiences those symptoms. And I'm here to answer some of the important question you may have about strokes.
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Robert Brown, a neurologist at Mayo Clinic.
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