{"id":92915,"date":"2024-11-01T14:22:34","date_gmt":"2024-11-01T12:22:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/?p=92915"},"modified":"2024-11-05T14:24:44","modified_gmt":"2024-11-05T12:24:44","slug":"stroke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/stroke\/","title":{"rendered":"Stroke"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Prevent, Diagnose and Treatment<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Researchers estimate that 82% to 90% of strokes are preventable. While lifestyle changes can\u2019t prevent all strokes, many of these changes can make a significant difference in lowering your risk.<\/p>\n<p><em>Experts recommend you consider the following:<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Quit smoking: If you smoke, quitting now will lower your risk of stroke. You can reach out to a doctor to create a quit plan.<\/p>\n<p>No alcohol: Alcohol consumption can raise your blood pressure, which in turn increases the risk of stroke. It is a great thing that Islam doesn\u2019t allow us to consume or indulge.<\/p>\n<p>Keep a moderate weight: Overweight and obesity increases the risk of stroke. To help manage your weight, eat a balanced diet and stay physically active. Both steps can also reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels.<\/p>\n<p>Get regular check-ups: Talk with a doctor about how often to get a check-up for blood pressure, cholesterol, and any conditions you may have. They can also support you in making these lifestyle changes and offer guidance.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How do doctors diagnose stroke?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>To diagnose stroke, a doctor will first ask you or a family member about your symptoms and what you were doing when they arose. They\u2019ll take your medical history to find out your stroke risk factors. They\u2019ll also:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>ask what medications you take<\/li>\n<li>check your blood pressure<\/li>\n<li>listen to your heart<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You\u2019ll also have a physical exam, during which your doctor will evaluate you for:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>balance<\/li>\n<li>coordination<\/li>\n<li>weakness<\/li>\n<li>numbness in your arms, face, or legs<\/li>\n<li>signs of confusion<\/li>\n<li>vision issues<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Your doctor will then do certain imaging and blood tests to help confirm a stroke diagnosis. These tests can help them determine whether you had a stroke and, if so:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>what may have caused it<\/li>\n<li>what part of the brain is affected?<\/li>\n<li>whether you have bleeding in the brain<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>What is the treatment for stroke?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Proper medical evaluation and prompt treatment are vital to recovering from a stroke. Treatment will depend on the type of stroke.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ischemic stroke and TIA<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Since a blood clot or blockage in the brain causes these stroke types, doctors essentially treat them with similar techniques. They can include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>thrombolytic drugs, namely tissue plasminogen activator (tPA or Atlepase), to break up blood clots in your brain\u2019s arteries within 4.5 hours of the onset of symptoms<\/li>\n<li>mechanical thrombectomy to remove the blood clot within 24 hours of symptom onset<\/li>\n<li>stents to support weakened artery walls<\/li>\n<li>surgery to remove plaque from your arteries<\/li>\n<li>aspirin or other blood thinners to prevent further blood clots<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Haemorrhagic stroke<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Strokes caused by bleeds or leaks in the brain require different treatment strategies. Treatments for haemorrhagic stroke include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>medications to reduce blood pressure, prevent seizures, and prevent blood vessel constriction<\/li>\n<li>surgery to repair the brain aneurysm, usually by processes called coiling or clipping<\/li>\n<li>craniotomy to relieve pressure on the brain<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In addition to emergency treatment, your healthcare team will advise you on ways to prevent future strokes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What can I expect during recovery from a stroke?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Stroke is a leading cause of disability. While many people will fully recover, some will have long-term disabilities.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s important that recovery and rehabilitation from a stroke start as soon as possible. In fact, stroke recovery should begin in the hospital.<\/p>\n<p>In a hospital, a care team can stabilize your condition and assess the effects of the stroke. They can identify underlying factors and begin therapy to help you regain some of your affected skills.<\/p>\n<p>Stroke recovery typically focuses on four main areas:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>speech therapy to relearn how to speak and help with swallowing difficulties<\/li>\n<li>cognitive therapy to regain former patterns of thinking and behaviour<\/li>\n<li>relearning sensory skills, such as temperature, pressure, and pain, often with the help of an occupational therapist<\/li>\n<li>physical therapy to regain strength and balance and adjust to any limitations<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Prevent, Diagnose and Treatment Researchers estimate that 82% to 90% of strokes are preventable. While lifestyle changes can\u2019t prevent all strokes, many of these changes can make a significant difference in lowering your risk. Experts recommend you consider the following: Quit smoking: If you smoke, quitting now will lower your risk of stroke. You can [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":92641,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[43],"tags":[5476],"class_list":["post-92915","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-special-feature","tag-special-feature"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/download.png?fit=225%2C225&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/sc0QIf-stroke","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-19 14:15:15","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92915","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92915"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92915\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/92641"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92915"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92915"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92915"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}