Pinchuk Elena Anatolyevna
Deputy chief physician for medical work, kmn, neurologist, doctor of physical and rehabilitation medicine
Lipovka Nadezhda Sergeevna
Head of the Department of Medical Rehabilitation, Physician of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Neurologist
Sobolev Arkady Igorevich
Doctor of physical and rehabilitation medicine, neurologist
Stroke is one of the most common and serious diseases of the central nervous system. Stroke occurs regardless of gender and age. However, stroke in representatives of the stronger sex also has its own characteristics.
1. Signs and symptoms of stroke in men
2. First signs of stroke in men
3. First aid
4. Treatment and prevention
Representatives of the stronger sex are most at risk after the age of 40. The presence of diabetes mellitus, poor heredity, cardiac arrhythmia, hypertension, atherosclerosis and previous myocardial infarction significantly increase the risk of developing ischemic stroke. Lifestyle is equally important. Thus, constant stress, impaired metabolism, alcohol abuse, unhealthy diet, excess weight, physical overload, lack of sleep - all this negatively affects the functioning of the central nervous system and poses a serious threat to health.
Signs and symptoms of stroke in men
The first signs of stroke in men appear within 3 hours from the moment the lesion appears. Weakness suddenly appears, it becomes difficult to swallow, breathing becomes difficult and tachycardia intensifies, headache leads to fainting, severe dizziness is felt, convulsions and vomiting are possible. The person needs to be hospitalized urgently. If at this moment first aid is quickly provided to the victim, then firstly, many of the signs of a stroke will begin to recede, and secondly, the likelihood of severe complications in the future is reduced.
General cerebral
Such strokes can occur in completely different ways. The patient may experience severe weakness and drowsiness, and may experience brief fainting or loss of consciousness. The opposite scenario is also possible, when a person becomes overexcited.
A cerebral stroke is accompanied by severe headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, clouding of consciousness, lethargy, loud noise in the ears, impaired perception of the world and memory, confusion of thoughts, and inability to concentrate on anything. There may be fever, dry mouth, and heavy sweating.
First aid
If the victim shows one or more of the above signs, then you need to call an ambulance. It is prohibited to give the victim any medications at this time. The man must be laid on a flat surface with his head slightly raised. A cold compress is applied to the back of the head, and a heating pad is applied to the lower extremities. It is important to ensure that the victim is in a state of complete rest, not allowing him to move or stand up abruptly. If a person is indoors, open the windows to allow fresh air to flow in. When vomiting occurs, tilt your head to the sides so that he does not choke. At the first signs of clinical death, artificial respiration and chest compressions are performed.
UZP test
There is a special test that helps determine if a man or woman is having a stroke. It should be carried out by someone close to you, since the patient may already be in a serious condition when he needs help. The test is called “UZP” - based on the first letters of the actions that the patient must perform - smile, speak, lift. This study helps to identify violations of coordination of movements and facial expressions. Stages of the test:
- Ask the man to smile . One of the symptoms of a stroke is an asymmetrical smile - crooked or skewed. The right or left corner of the mouth will be lower. The reason is that during a stroke, disturbances are observed, due to which half of the face on the side of the damaged part of the brain ceases to obey the person.
- Ask the man to speak . The patient’s speech, even in a pre-stroke state, becomes slurred, similar to the conversation of a drunk person.
- Ask the man to raise both hands in front of him . One of them (on the affected side) will be significantly lower than the other.
Article on the topic: Codelac Neo - release form, composition, instructions for use, indications, side effects, analogues and price
Treatment and prevention
Statistics confirm that stroke treatment in men is more likely to be successful. The likelihood of death is much lower than among women. The treatment process is aimed at restoring and normalizing blood circulation in the affected area of the brain. Thrombolytic therapy, vasodilators and neuroprotectors are used. If a hemorrhagic stroke occurs, surgical intervention will be required to eliminate the hematomas formed after hemorrhage, as well as to reconstruct damaged blood vessels.
The rehabilitation period after a stroke is no less important than the treatment process. A man who has suffered an ischemic stroke must completely change his lifestyle and get rid of many bad habits. It is important to follow a special diet, play sports or exercise therapy, walk in the fresh air more often, completely give up smoking and alcohol, and rest at least 7 hours a day.
Clinical Brain Institute Rating: 3/5 — 6 votes
Share article on social networks
What contributes to the development of stroke
Factors that create favorable conditions for the development of a pathological process can be completely different. First of all, it all depends on the type of disease itself. If we are talking about an ischemic stroke, its first symptoms can be immediately noticed. This type of disease cannot develop on its own, that is, just like that, against the background of general health. It is a consequence of other pathologies. Ischemic stroke is often provoked by chronic, sluggish diseases:
- diabetes,
- obesity,
- arterial hypertension,
- cardiac arrhythmias,
- high concentration of cholesterol in the blood.
Factors such as congenital pathologies and hereditary predisposition should also be taken into account. Adverse habits, which many men are unwilling or unable to give up for many years, also increase the risk of developing a stroke.
The situation is more complicated in the hemorrhagic form of cerebrovascular accident. This type of stroke has a sudden onset, and the process can be triggered by injury, nervous disorder, or excessive physical activity. But the two forms have a common feature - the main reason is the disruption of the normal blood supply to the brain, which entails severe changes in the structure of this important organ.
We must not forget about the negative impact on the body of a sedentary lifestyle, which modern young people are prone to. Poor nutrition with dry snacks also plays a negative role in this process.
Good to know! Although the causes of stroke are different and there are quite a few of them, when even two of these risk factors are combined, the likelihood of its development increases several times.
Programs:
Assessment of rehabilitation potential
Movement restoration
Restoration of cognitive functions
Early (resuscitation) rehabilitation
Rehabilitation after strokes and injuries
Focal
Symptoms of a focal stroke depend on which part of the brain is affected and what it is responsible for. The patient may be unable to speak or move some parts of the body. Hearing or vision impairment may occur.
In such cases, only doctors will be able to determine in which area the vessel was damaged. Therefore, for any neurological symptoms, you must immediately call an ambulance.
Frontal lobe
The frontal lobe occupies a third of the mass of both hemispheres. Symptoms of a frontal stroke may include the following:
- severe headache, nausea, vomiting;
- dizziness, fainting;
- increased body temperature;
- loss of control over your body;
- speech disorder;
- impairment of cognitive abilities (inability to solve simple problems, remember something, make logical connections between facts or objects, and so on);
- loss of abstract thinking ability.
Symptoms vary depending on which side the stroke occurs on. On the left - impaired memory and speed of speech, on the right - possible problems with the body and movements.
Attention! If brain function is disrupted in the frontal part, depression and an unbalanced emotional background may occur. Keep an eye on your loved ones and always try to pay attention to any irregularities in the behavior of your loved one.
Frontal stroke is most often associated with changes in a person's personality and behavior. They become noticeable over time and usually remain for life. A person may lose the ability to be creative and think abstractly. It is also possible to increase the likelihood of impulsive and rash actions when the patient is not aware of his actions. All memories and the ability to think rationally, however, are not affected.
Parietal lobe
The parietal lobe is responsible for articulation, as well as the understanding of polysemantic words and other ambiguous lexical units. Symptoms of an impending stroke in this area of the brain may include:
- hallucinations: auditory, visual, tactile (other people's touches, unpleasant sensations under the skin). These are symptoms of pre-stroke in men. If a person ceases to distinguish reality from hallucinations, this is one of the signs of the onset of disturbances in brain function;
- loss of the ability to write and read, solve simple arithmetic problems (temporary);
- denial of awareness of one's entire body. The patient may feel that his arm, leg, finger (any part) does not actually belong to him. Violation of human integrity;
- inability to understand by touch what kind of object is in the hands (even a familiar thing) with eyes closed.
In rare cases, there is a violation of the sense of smell on one side. Most often, most symptoms are temporary and disappear during treatment (or a couple of minutes after the start).
Temporal lobe
Responsible for such important abilities in human life as hearing, memory, consciousness control, speech. When a person has a stroke in the temporal lobe, the following changes occur:
- a person cannot understand his native speech, cannot speak and speak his own language. Everything sounds like a meaningless collection of sounds;
- complete or partial deafness (in one ear). Most often, hearing is restored over time, but not always completely;
- convulsions, epileptic seizure. Usually not strong and not long lasting. A repeated seizure, as a rule, does not happen;
- auditory hallucinations. A man hears voices in his head: comments on his condition or distant conversations. At the same time, the patient retains his sanity and understands that this is happening in his head and this is a symptom;
- memory loss. May be short-term and selective or complete amnesia that cannot be cured. It depends on how severe the damage to the brain was;
- prolonged depression and impairment in the construction of logical connections.
The main problem with such a stroke is impaired speech understanding. This is the main symptom accompanying the disease. Other effects are usually temporary.
Occipital lobe
This area is primarily responsible for visual information processing ability. When a stroke occurs in the occipital lobe, the following symptoms occur:
- A common manifestation is fog in the field of view. If you notice these changes, you need to urgently call an ambulance;
- barely noticeable visual hallucinations - bright light, appearing geometric shapes, blinking light rays;
- visual impairment. A man cannot sensibly estimate the distance to any object;
- complete or partial blindness (in both or 1 eye).
Sudden vision problems almost always indicate neurological problems, since the brain, not the eyes, is responsible for processing visual information. Therefore, any of these symptoms may indicate serious problems.
Extrapyramidal structures (cerebellum)
Extrapyramidal structures are systems in the brain responsible for controlling voluntary and involuntary movements and human facial expressions. Includes the cerebellum. It is responsible for coordination of movements and balance. If this system is damaged, a person may experience a number of serious problems:
- violation of automated and voluntary movements;
- uncontrolled and excessive muscle tension;
- involuntary vibrations of the eyeballs in different directions;
- loss of orientation.
Attention! When the cerebellum is damaged, the gait changes greatly - it becomes awkward, the person spreads his legs wide and constantly deviates in different directions, as if falling.
With this violation, a man will not be able to stay in one position for a long time. He will stand very tensely, as if he is about to fall.
Brain stem
Stroke in the brainstem causes the most serious and irreversible consequences in men. This part of the brain is responsible for involuntary functions of the body: heartbeat, swallowing, breathing, blood pressure, and so on. It is through the trunk that information from one hemisphere enters the other, so if its functioning is disrupted, paralysis of the body occurs. Signs of a pre-stroke may be the following:
- frequent heart pulse;
- difficulty breathing;
- changes in body temperature (and its surges).
After a stroke, there may be a complete loss of speech and motor activity. Based on this, it is important to understand the possible causes of stroke and prevent the disease.
The first signs of an approaching attack
Although this disease has several forms with different causes and symptoms, there are common symptoms that indicate the onset of an attack.
The first signs of an impending stroke include:
- regular headaches;
- constant change of mood;
- lack of coordination;
- dizziness;
- sudden pain in the back of the head;
- weakness;
- nausea;
- blood pressure surges;
- numbness of the limbs;
- shortness of breath;
- speech disorder.
