Stroke often causes some degree of facial weakness, and damage can include everything from mild weakness to paralysis. This is commonly referred to as facial droop and is a result of damage to nerves that control the muscles that make the face move symmetrically. Stroke-related facial paralysis usually affects only one side of the face. There are things a person can do to prevent stroke. A health care provider can help create a specific plan to lower a person's stroke risk.
Embolus
An embolic stroke happens when a person develops a clot somewhere in the body, often the heart, and it pumps through the blood vessels and gets stuck in a narrow vessel in the brain. The embolus may be caused by a heart arrhythmia, or a clot that forms in one of the large blood vessels in the neck or chest. When a clot breaks loose and starts to travel, it is called an embolus.
It is crucial to seek emergency care within three hours of onset of stroke symptoms, because this is the time when a clot-busting drug can be used to break up the embolus. If a person has a facial droop or paralysis or other stroke symptoms and does not seek care within that time, the chances of reversing the stroke drop substantially.
The lack of circulation means the brain tissue and nerves in the area do not get oxygen and nutrition. The facial nerve is often affected. This is the nerve that gives a person voluntary control of facial expressions.
Thrombus
Thrombotic strokes occur when a vessel in the brain develops a clot, or thrombus. The clot stops blood flow to the part of the brain normally fed by that vessel. The difference between the thrombus and the embolus is that the thrombus stays where it formed and causes problems locally.
As with an embolus, a thrombus blocks blood flow through a vessel. Within minutes, brain and nerve tissue begin to die. The longer the vessel is blocked, the more nerve tissue is lost. That is why timely treatment is so important. In the case of thrombus, emergency care within three hours of symptom onset is also critical. Clot-busting drugs usually cannot be given later than that window due to the possibility of complications. Prevention of thrombus is the same as prevention of an embolus.
Hemorrhage
Hemorrhage causes about 13 percent of strokes, according to the American Heart Association. In those cases, a blood vessel ruptures and not only does the local area lose circulation, but blood from the vessel escapes into the brain and puts pressure on the surrounding tissue. This can be caused by weak or abnormal blood vessels, or by something such as uncontrolled high blood pressure stressing the vessel walls.
The treatment for a hemorrhagic stroke differs from strokes caused by clots. If the bleed is small, a watch-and-wait plan might be appropriate. But if a large vessel bursts and continues to bleed, it puts a lot of pressure on the nearby tissue. There is no room for the brain to expand inside the skull, so if bleeding continues to take up space, it pushes on the brain tissue. The pressure kills cells just as lack of blood flow would. In a case like that, it may be necessary to evacuate the blood, meaning surgery to make an opening in the skull and take out the extra fluid to relieve the pressure on the brain.
If a person has chronic headaches, dizziness, balance difficulties or vision changes, it is important to see a health care provider.
