Brain cells begin to die when they are deprived of oxygen and glucose. Permanent brain damage or death is possible if a stroke is not caught early.
In fact, ischemic strokes unfold over a period of 10 hours. That means that with every second you wait for treatment, the brain damage gets worse. If a stroke is untreated for the full 10 hours, the brain ages up to 36 years! With every minute you wait, the brain loses two million brain cells.
The longer a stroke goes untreated, the more damage can be done — possibly permanently — to the brain. “If you suspect you or someone you're with is having a stroke, don't hesitate to call 911,” Dr. Humbert says. “It could save a life.”
Yes, you can have a stroke and not know it. A stroke's effects can be undetectable if the stroke is small or if the tissue damaged does not serve a critical function. Evidence of the stroke would show on a CT scan or an MRI of the brain, but it might not produce symptoms.
The symptoms of a TIA are similar to those of a stroke and include: Numbness or muscle weakness, usually on one side of the body. Difficulty speaking or understanding speech. Dizziness or loss of balance.
If your stroke symptoms go away after a few minutes, you may have had a transient ischemic attack (TIA), also sometimes called a “mini-stroke.” Although brief, a TIA is a sign of a serious condition that will not go away without medical help. Unfortunately, because TIAs clear up, many people ignore them.
If you get to the hospital within 3 hours of the first symptoms of an ischemic stroke, you may get a type of medicine called a thrombolytic (a “clot-busting” drug) to break up blood clots. Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is a thrombolytic. tPA improves the chances of recovering from a stroke.
How Does a Stroke Impact Life Expectancy? Despite the likelihood of making a full recovery, life expectancy after stroke incidents can decrease. Unfortunately, researchers have observed a wide range of life expectancy changes in stroke patients, but the average reduction in lifespan is nine and a half years.
Fast action after stroke symptoms
Stroke symptoms can develop slowly over hours or days. If you have a ministroke, also known as transient ischemic attack (TIA), symptoms are temporary and usually improve within hours. In this case, you may blame sudden symptoms on stress, a migraine, or nerve problems.
In reality, there is no set timeframe for strokes — some can last just minutes, while others can linger for hours or even days. The faster your stroke is treated, the better your chances of survival, so it's important to understand the symptoms of different types of strokes.
A door-to-treatment time of 60 minutes or less is the goal. This 60-minute period is often referred to as the “golden hour” of acute ischemic stroke treatment during which a focused diagnostic workup must be completed to rule out conditions that may mimic stroke as well as contraindications to rt-PA administration.
If your symptoms have gotten slightly worse over the course of a few days, it could be a normal part of the recovery process. A stroke recovery journal can help during this time.
This meta-analysis of 11 816 strokes provides strong evidence that the onset of stroke symptoms has a circadian variation, with a higher risk in the early morning hours (6 am to noon), and lower risk during the nighttime period (midnight to 6 am).
The injury to the brain caused by a stroke can lead to widespread and long-lasting problems. Although some people may recover quickly, many people who have a stroke need long-term support to help them regain as much independence as possible. This process of rehabilitation depends on the symptoms and their severity.
Getting to the ER as quickly as possible is perhaps the most important part of managing a stroke because brain tissue can die at a rapid pace. Statistics show that the initial 10–20 minutes of a stroke plays a crucial role in deciding the overall quality and chance of survival.
Some change to your behaviour is to be expected, and although it may be difficult to live with at times, it's likely to improve. Many people find that they have to learn what's 'normal' for them again after they've had a stroke. This will take time, for you and the people around you.
In addition to the classic stroke symptoms associated with the FAST acronym, around 7-65% of people undergoing a stroke will experience some form of a headache. People describe a stroke-related headache as a very severe headache that comes on within seconds or minutes.
Hemorrhagic strokes are less common, making up about 15 percent of stroke cases, but they are often deadlier, Sozener says.
With a mild stroke, symptoms may have already subsided once a person reaches the hospital. However, this person should still be evaluated by a doctor after the stroke occurs. A mild stroke can be an indicator that a more serious stroke is on its way.
Some people have strokes without realizing it. They're called silent strokes, and they either have no easy-to-recognize symptoms, or you don't remember them. But they do cause permanent damage in your brain. If you've had more than one silent stroke, you may have thinking and memory problems.
The typical length of a hospital stay after a stroke is five to seven days. During this time, the stroke care team will evaluate the effects of the stroke, which will determine the rehabilitation plan.
Quality sleep has many benefits, especially for stroke survivors. Getting a good night's sleep supports neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to restructure and create new neural connections in healthy parts of the brain, allowing stroke survivors to re-learn movements and functions.