Recovery time after a stroke is different for everyone—it can take weeks, months, or even years. Some people recover fully, but others have long-term or lifelong disabilities.
A stroke can cause permanent loss of function. The long-term effects of stroke depend on which part of the brain was damaged and by how much. Early treatment and rehabilitation after stroke can improve recovery and many people regain a lot of function.
It is possible to live a normal life after a stroke, but you will need to actively participate in your rehab. Brain injuries can affect mobility, swallowing, speech and, therefore, your ability to do the vital tasks of daily living. So, you will need help, support, counselling, encouragement, and loving care.
A stroke, sometimes called a brain attack, occurs when something blocks blood supply to part of the brain or when a blood vessel in the brain bursts. In either case, parts of the brain become damaged or die. A stroke can cause lasting brain damage, long-term disability, or even death.
Although just 10% of people fully recover from a stroke, 25% have only minor impairments and 40% have moderate impairments that are manageable with some special care.
Few patients recover fully and most are left with some disability, but the majority exhibit some degree of spontaneous recovery. Doctors and scientists don't fully understand how this happens, because the brain does not grow new cells to replace the ones damaged by the stroke.
For example, 79% of people survive 2 years, 61% survive 3 years, …, 5% survive 16 years, and only 1% survive 20 years.
Even after surviving a stroke, you're not out of the woods, since having one makes it a lot more likely that you'll have another. In fact, of the 795,000 Americans who will have a first stroke this year, 23 percent will suffer a second stroke.
The figures show that 38% of people suffering strokes are middle aged (40-69) – up from 33% a decade ago. The average age for a woman suffering a stroke has dropped from 75 to 73 and for men it has dropped from 71 to 68.
A 2021 study found that about 66% of stroke victims survived past the three-year mark. 7 Survival factors included: The person's age. Their overall health.
On average, between 10 and 15 years after stroke, 25% of survivors were moderately-severely disabled, 21% were inactive, 22% had cognitive impairments, 32% were anxious and 38% depressed. Functional, cognitive and psychological outcomes between 10 and 15 years after stroke.
Gains can happen quickly or over time.
The most rapid recovery usually occurs during the first three to four months after a stroke, but some survivors continue to recover well into the first and second year after their stroke.
Stress can cause the heart to work harder, increase blood pressure, and increase sugar and fat levels in the blood. These things, in turn, can increase the risk of clots forming and travelling to the heart or brain, causing a heart attack or stroke.
Family members share genes, behaviors, lifestyles, and environments that can influence their health and their risk for disease. Stroke risk can be higher in some families than in others, and your chances of having a stroke can go up or down depending on your age, sex, and race or ethnicity.
The first question a stroke survivor should ask:
Did I have a white stroke or a red stroke? Of people who survive a first white stroke, within 1 year 8% will have another one (1), and within 2 years 11% will have a second one (2). In one study, 39% of second strokes were fatal (2).
Some people will experience symptoms such as headache, numbness or tingling several days before they have a serious stroke. One study found that 43% of stroke patients experienced mini-stroke symptoms up to a week before they had a major stroke.
There are significant cognitive and physical disabilities in the second recurrent ischemic stroke as compared to the first-ever one, and the second stroke tend to be more dangerous and carry more disability.
Other brain cells die because they are damaged by sudden bleeding in or around the brain. Some brain cells die quickly but many linger in a compromised or weakened state for several hours. Stroke causes permanent brain damage over minutes to hours.
Medical experts often use the NIH Stroke Scale to determine the severity of a stroke. Patients that score between 21 and 42 (the highest possible score) are considered to have suffered a massive stroke.
Strokes are a leading cause of serious long-term disability, significantly reducing mobility in more than half of all stroke survivors over the age of 65. If your stroke has left you unable to work or manage your day-to-day tasks, you could qualify for SSD benefits.
Aside from the increased risk of contracting COVID-19, the main risk of flying after a stroke is developing blood clots. Particularly Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). This can cause a Pulmonary Embolism (PE), which is when a clot breaks free and travels to the lungs.
Changes in your emotions and to your personality are common after stroke. It's very normal to experience strong emotions after stroke, however these emotional reactions usually get better with time. Longer-term emotional and personality changes can be very challenging.