A stroke, also known as a cerebrovascular accident, results from a lack of blood flow to a part of the brain. There are two types of stroke. An ischemic stroke results from a blockage of the artery supplying the region of the brain, and a hemorrhagic stroke results from a rupture of the artery supplying the brain region. Each can have different symptoms and complications, depending on which region of the brain is affected.
Recurrent Stroke
After a stroke, the patient is at increased risk of another one, especially early on in the post-stroke period. According to an April 2009 article in the American Journal of Medicine, 8 to 12 percent of patients experience a stroke within 12 months of the initial stroke. After five years, the risk increases to 16.6 percent, and further strokes have a higher risk of death than earlier ones.
Motor and Sensory Disturbances
After a stroke, the patient can suffer from problems with movement and altered sensory perception. These are usually on the opposite side of the body from the side of the brain affected by the stroke, and they tend to be more severe in the arm and face as opposed to the lower limbs. Examples include weakness, paralysis, tingling, numbness and spasticity of affected extremities.
Altered Mental Status
After a stroke, a patient's mental state can also be permanently affected. This is due to irreversible damage to the brain and can include slowed cognitive function, inability to communicate--known as aphasia, decreased level of consciousness, and even coma.
Visual Disturbances
Visual complications are also common in stroke victims. A massive stroke that affects the part of the brain that processes visual input can result in "cortical blindness." This is when your eyes can see but the input that is sent to the damaged brain cannot be processed and blindness results. In addition, blindness in half of the visual field, known as hemianopsia, can occur on the same side as the part of the brain affected by stroke. Due to disruption of brain centers that control your gaze, a stroke patient's eyes tend to wander laterally, always toward the side of the brain that has been damaged by the stroke.
Clumsiness
Clumsiness, also known as ataxia, is a complication of ischemic stroke as well. It is due to damage to the cerebellum region of the brain, which controls motor coordination. The problems with coordination can be seen in specific limbs such as the arms or legs, or be more centrally located and affect the trunk more, depending on the part of the cerebellum that is damaged.
Altered Behavior
Patients can tend to have disruptions in their normal behavior, such as hypersexual activity, aggression, depression, altered judgment, decreased insight and inappropriate behavior. This is usually due to damage to the frontal lobes, which are the primary region of the brain that controls personality and behavior.
Problems with the Autonomic System
The autonomic system controls many of the unconscious body activities that we do not always control voluntarily. This can include swallowing, sweating, control of cardiac and lung parameters, bowel function and bladder function. Disruptions in some, or all, of these functions can occur after stroke.
Death
Death is the ultimate complication after a stroke. It can occur after the initial blockage of blood to the brain, or it can occur after a period of time. For example, cardiac events, such as heart attacks, begin to occur later on after a stroke and pose a serious cause of death long term after stroke, according to an April 2009 article in The American Journal of Medicine.
References
- "The American Journal of Medicine;" Outcomes After Stroke: Risk of Recurrent Ischemic Stroke and Other Events; Elkind, M. Volume 122, April 2009.
- "Rosen's Emergency Medicine, 7th Edition;" Marx; 2009
- "Neurology in Clinical Practice, 5th Edition;" Bradley; 2008
