It is a common notion among people that ‘brain attack’ or ‘stroke’ and ‘heart attack’ are one and the same. There is also a profound lack of knowledge of common risk factors and symptoms of stroke. Inability of bystanders to recognize the common symptoms of stroke is a major hurdle in appropriate management of patients with stroke as golden hour is lost, specially in India where the pre-hospital services are not well organized. Treatment within the first 3-4 hours of onset of symptoms is most effective and prevents long term morbidity and mortality.
What are the similarities and differences between ‘brain attack’ and ‘heart attack’?
Heart attack refers to damage to the muscle of the heart, usually from a lack of blood flow. Most of the time, a blood clot forms in one of the arteries that supplies the heart muscle with blood, blocking the flow of blood. As the heart muscle starves, it begins to die, causing chest pain and other symptoms of heart attack.
A Stroke is a similar blockage in an artery in the brain or neck that supplies blood to the brain. Which is why it is frequently called as brain attack. When a clot forms in one of those arteries and stops blood flow, a section of the brain begins to die. When those cells die, the person loses whatever function those brain cells controlled. There is another category called the ‘hemorrhagic stroke’ in which a blood vessel bursts and bleeds in the brain.
While the common symptoms of a heart attack are chest pain, tightness and shoulder pain, the symptoms of stroke are completely different and may range from nothing to headache, paralysis of an arm or leg, unconsciousness, coma and death. Another type of stroke is a transient ischemic attack (TIA), essentially a “mini-stroke” caused by a temporary clot. TIA symptoms are identical to those of other kinds of strokes, but because they occur quickly and usually last less than five minutes, this brain attack often goes unnoticed.
While a TIA doesn’t usually cause permanent injury to the brain, it serves as a warning for patients and gives them time to seek further medical treatment in preventing ischemic or hemorrhagic strokes.
A heart attack may lead to death or unconsciousness. Of course it is an emergency.
A stroke is also an emergency . However, it may not lead to death, or even unconsciousness many times. Its effects vary widely and it is often said that each stroke is unique. This is because a stroke affects the brain which controls all the body. Specific areas of brain control specific limbs and functions. Depending upon which area of brain gets damages, one can have some idea of the effects based on the location of the blockage / damage.
If the blockage occurs near the front of the brain, it can affect such things as organization skills, memory, communication, and problem solving. If it occurs lower down, near the brainstem, it can cause unconsciousness and an inability to breathe, swallow, or control elimination.if it occurs to one side near the temple, speech may be affected. In addition, which side (hemisphere) of the brain the stroke occurs on determines its side effects and which body functions are affected. The right side generally controls a person’s emotions, creativity and abstract thinking. If the blockage occurs anywhere on the right side of the brain, it can cause the following symptoms:
- Paralysis or weakness on the left side of the body
- Disorientation
- Excessive talking
- An inability to perform routine tasks such as brushing the teeth, buttoning a shirt or tying shoelace
The left side controls more of speech, logic, perception and organization. If the stroke occurs anywhere on the left side of the brain, it can cause the following symptoms:
- Paralysis or weakness on the right side of the body
- Depression
- An inability to understand language
- Trouble speaking
- Memory problems
- Decreased attention span
However, Heart attack and Stroke have many risk factors in common. They may be modifiable or non-modifiable. Some of the modifiable risk factors include
- High Blood Pressure
- Heart Disease
- Diabetes Mellitus
- Cigarette smoking
- History of transient Ischemic Attacks (TIAs)
- High blood Cholesterol
- Lack of exercise, physical inactivity
- Obesity
- Excessive alcohol use
- Drug abuse
Some of the non-modifiable risk factors include
- Age > 55 years
- Male gender
- Race (Asians and African-Americans have a greater risk than Caucasians)
- History of prior stroke
- Family history of stroke
Hope you found the above information useful. Please share with others it might help. Stay informed and safe. Thank you !
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If you have limited/No information about Stroke, its symptoms and consequences, we STRONGLY suggest you read at least one of the following before you leave this Website, as well as share the links with your friends and family. You may save someone from sudden death or being crippled for life !
* Be fast – Stroke Symptoms in English with Videos of Actual Strokes
* स्ट्रोक (आघात) – हिंदी में कुछ जानकारी
* स्ट्रोक-के-साधारण-लक्षण
* In Bengali – Be Fast – দ্রুত !
* In Gujarati – જ્યારે સ્ટ્રોક આવે ત્યારે BE FAST
* In Marathi – BE FAST स्ट्रोक होतो तेव्हा !
* In Odiya – ଷ୍ଟ୍ରୋକ: ମୃତ୍ୟୁ ଅଥବା ଶାରୀରିକ/ମାନସିକ ଅସମର୍ଥ