Carotid-Artery

what is a Stroke?

BLOOD FLOW BLOCKAGE: The brain recieves about 25% of the body's oxygen, but it cannot store it. Brain cells require a constant supply of oxygen to stay healthy and function properly. Blood, then needs to be supplied to the brain continuously through two main arteriel systems.
- The Carotid Arteries come up through either side of the front of the neck. ( the pulse of the carotid artery can be felt by placing the fingertips gently against either side of the neck right under the jaw.)

A reduction of blood flow even for a short period of time can be disasterous and is the primary cause of a stroke. A stroke has the same relationship to the brain as a heart attack does to the heart. Both result from blockage in a blood vessel that interrupts the supply of oxygen to the cells, resulting in the death of vital tissue.

A stroke is usually defined as two types:
- Ischemic (caused by a blockage in an artery)
- Hemorrhagic (caused by a tear in the artery's wall that produces bleeding in the brain)

Strokes affect about 750,000 people every single year, and the incidence appears to be increasing. In general, people with a stroke are likely to have more than on risk factor.

Risk Factors include but are not limited to:

Age and Gender:
People most at risk for a stroke are older adults, particularly those with high blood pressure, who are sedentary, overweight, smoke, or have diabetes. In older age groups, studies are mixed on the effects of stroke by gender. Some have reported that more women die each year from stroke, but a Canadian analysis of nearly 45,000 patient records reported that, although older men were more agressivly treated, elderly women had a slight edge in survival a year after a stroke.
About 28% of stroke victims are under 65 years of age, Strokes in younger people affect men and women equally.

High Blood Pressure:
High Blood Pressure ( also known as hypertension) contributes to 70% of all strokes, in fact researches have estimated that almost half of strokes could be averted by controlling blood pressure

Symptoms of TIA's in the Carotid Arteries:
The carotid arteries start at the Aorta and lead up through the neck around the windpipe and on into the brian. They are the more commonly involved sites. When TIA's Occur here, they cause symptoms in either the retina of the eye or the cerebral hemisphere (or the large top part of the brain)

- When oxygen to the eye is reduced, people describe the visual effect as a shade being pulled down. people develope poor night vision.

- When the cerebral hemisphere is affected by a TIA, a person can experience problems with speech and partial temporary paralysis, tingling and numbness, usually on one side of the body.

THREE OUT OF FOUR STROKES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH CAROTID ARTERY BLOCKAGE. THIS TEST VISUALIZES THE BUILD UP OF FATTY PLAQUE IN THE CAROTID ARTERIES THAT CAN LEAD TO STROKE. NO PREPARATION IS REQUIRED FOR TAKING THIS NON-INVASIVE, 5-10 MINUTE TEST.