A new study helps to shed a lot more light on just what happens within the body when a stroke occurs. This new insight is likely to lead to better stroke treatment and prevention methods in the future.
Ischemic strokes are the most common type of stroke. These occur when a blood clot temporarily blocks oxygenated blood from flowing to the brain. As a result of this, brain cell death can occur, making communication amongst brain cells a lot more difficult. This is why speech and motion can become difficult after someone has a stroke. The brain cannot send signals like it once could. Therapies focus on helping the create new signal pathways, but this can be a long and painful process.
But what is actually happening when a stroke occurs?
Besides a buildup of plaque in the arteries leading to blood clots blocking blood vessels, there are some biological changes that occur when a stroke happens. For the first time ever, researchers were able to genetically sequence plaque and get a closer look at what is happening during a stroke. They found that messenger RNA in those that have suffered a stroke is alerting other portions of the body to become inflamed and degrade the plaque that caused the stroke.
Doctors hope that they can learn to do this artificially in order to help the body more effectively fight against stroke.
The above mentioned research came out of Tulane University. They published their findings in the journal, Scientific Reports.
This is not a comprehensive look at stroke, but only an introduction. Strokes can occur for a variety of reasons and not every single one will happen in the same way described here. Please speak with a doctor if you would like to learn more about strokes, your specific risk factors, and what you can do to live a healthier lifestyle to help yourself minimize the risk that you face.
Regardless of how a stroke occurs, when someone has one, they will likely need a lot of extra support for months (or longer) as they recover. Some people will never fully recover from a stroke, depending on the severity of it and how soon treatment begins afterwards. Typical ischemic strokes tend to have more manageable prognoses if treatment begins within two hours after beginning. For a variety of reasons, this doesn’t always happen.
If your loved one needs more support than what you and your family are able to give while they are recovering from a stroke, we might be a helpful resource for you. Based out of Walnut Creek, California, we serve a large portion of the San Francisco Bay Area with in-home and various other types of senior care. Many of our caregivers are specially trained to work with those that are recovering from a stroke. If you’d like to learn more about what we do and how it might help your family, please feel free to reach out. One of our caregivers would be happy to talk more with you about the benefits of utilizing professional care after a stroke.
Leave a Reply