The most important treatable factors linked to stroke are life style habits
Because there is no way to tell whether symptoms are from a Transient Ischemic Attacks or an acute stroke health care providers must find out what kind of stroke it is to treat it correctly.
A person thought to be having a stroke may have a neurological exam, blood tests and an electrocardiogram.
Generally, there are three treatment stages for stroke: prevention, therapy immediately after stroke, and post-stroke rehabilitation.
- Preventative therapies are based on treating an individual’s underlying risk factors
- Acute stroke therapies try to stop a stroke while it is happening
- Post-stroke rehabilitation is to overcome disabilities that result from stroke damage
Whilst medication or drug therapy is the most common treatment for stroke, surgery can be used to prevent stroke, to treat acute stroke, or to repair vascular damage or malformations in and around the brain.
For most stroke patients, physical therapy is the cornerstone of the rehabilitation process.
Another type of therapy involving relearning daily activities is occupational therapy. Occupational therapy also involves exercise and training to help the stroke patient relearn everyday activities such as eating, drinking and swallowing, dressing, bathing, cooking, reading and writing, and toileting. Speech therapy is appropriate for patients who have no deficits in cognition or thinking, but have problems understanding speech or written words, or problems forming speech.
Treatment for Transient Ischemic Attacks
Because there is no way to tell whether symptoms are from a Transient Ischemic Attacks or an acute stroke, patients should assume that all stroke-like symptoms signal an emergency and should not wait to see if they go away.
A prompt evaluation (within 60 minutes) is necessary to identify the cause of the Transient Ischemic Attacks and determine appropriate therapy. Depending on a patient’s medical history and the results of a medical examination, the health professional may recommend drug therapy or surgery to reduce the risk of stroke in people who have had a Transient Ischemic Attacks. The use of antiplatelet agents, particularly aspirin, is a standard treatment for patients at risk for stroke. People with atrial fibrillation (irregular beating of the heart) may be prescribed anticoagulants.
Transient Ischemic Attacks are often warning signs that a person is at risk for a more serious and debilitating stroke. About one-third of those who have a Transient Ischemic Attacks will have an acute stroke some time in the future. Many strokes can be prevented by heeding the warning signs of Transient Ischemic Attacks and treating underlying risk factors.
The most important treatable factors linked to Transient Ischemic Attacks and stroke are high blood pressure, cigarette smoking, heart disease, carotid artery disease, diabetes, and heavy use of alcohol. Medical help is available to reduce and eliminate these factors. Lifestyle changes such as eating a balanced diet, maintaining healthy weight, exercising, and enrolling in smoking and alcohol cessation programs can also reduce these factors.
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