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Stroke Symptom
The most common stroke signs and symptoms include:
     Sudden numbness, weakness, or paralysis of the face, arm or leg - usually on one side of the body
     Loss of speech, or trouble talking or understanding speech
     Sudden blurred, double or decreased vision
     Dizziness, loss of balance or loss of coordination
     Seizures, fainting or blacking out

How a stroke or transient ischemic attack affects the body depends on precisely where in the brain the blood supply was cut off or where bleeding occurred. Each area of the brain is served by specific blood vessels. For example, if a blood vessel in the area that controls the left leg's muscle movements becomes blocked, the leg will be weak or paralyzed. If the area that senses touch to the right arm is damaged, the right arm will lose feeling (sensation). The loss of function is greatest immediately after a stroke. However, some function is usually regained because, while some brain cells die, others are only injured and may recover.

Stroke - TIA
Insufficient blood supply to parts of the brain for brief periods causes transient ischemic attacks, temporary disturbances in brain function. Because the blood supply is restored quickly, brain tissue doesn't die, as it does in a stroke. A transient ischemic attack is often an early warning sign of a stroke.

Cause of Stroke
In Western countries, strokes are the most common cause of disabling neurologic damage. High blood pressure and atherosclerosis -- hardening of the arteries from fatty buildup -- are the major risk factors for strokes. The incidence of strokes has declined in recent decades, mainly because people are more aware of the importance of controlling high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels.
   With prescription drugs Vioxx and Bextra already pulled from the market, a study has raised disturbing questions about the heart safety of long-term use of over-the-counter pain relievers such as Advil, Motrin and Aleve. Smokers in Norway who took such drugs for at least six months had twice the risk of dying of a heart attack, stroke or other heart-related problem.

Hemorrhagic stroke
Many young adults who suffer bleeding in the brain, a type of stroke, have risk factors that could be modified,. This suggests that these strokes might often be preventable. Risk factors for bleeding stroke included high blood pressure, diabetes, menopause, and current cigarette smoking. More than two alcoholic drinks per day, more than five caffeinated drinks per day, and caffeine in drugs were also associated with the risk of bleeding in the brain

Folic Acid and stroke
In addition to its effects on homocysteine, an amino acid linked to heart disease, folic acid may protect against a certain type of stroke. Specifically, investigators found that folate, a B vitamin found in green leafy vegetables, fruits and dried beans, appears to lower the risk of hemorrhagic stroke, a stroke caused by bleeding in the brain.

B Vitamins and stroke
A high-dose vitamin supplement may help reduce the risk of a second stroke, as well as death and cardiac events, according to a study published in the November 2005 issue of the journal Stroke. The supplement consisted of vitamins B9 (folate), B6, and B12, which are known to reduce blood levels of homocysteine -- an amino acid linked to heart disease. In a previous report from the Vitamin Intervention for Stroke Prevention (VISP) study group, the combined vitamin therapy did not reduce recurrent stroke and cardiac events, but it turned out that the trial included patients who were not likely to benefit from the treatment. The VISP trial included patients with deficiency of vitamin B12 who were unlikely to respond to our treatment, as well as patients with renal failure, who would not respond as well to vitamin therapy. When the scientists re-analyzed the results in a subgroup of 2,155 subjects deemed most likely to respond to treatment, the combined vitamin therapy did appear to have a beneficial effect on recurrence of stroke and cardiac events. Specifically, the team compared results of low-dose vitamin versus high-dose vitamin therapy and found that high-dose vitamin supplements reduced recurrent stroke, death and heart disease by 21 percent. When they subdivided patients by baseline levels of vitamin B12, thus identifying those with difficulties absorbing the vitamin, the differences between the low-dose and high-dose groups became greater. In the modern age in which grains are fortified with folate, the response to vitamin therapy for lowering homocysteine largely depends on B12 levels of the patients. Higher doses of B12, in addition to other therapies, will be required to reduce homocysteine, and thus to reduce stroke and the combined end point of stroke, death, and heart attack.

Recovery from stroke
Stroke victims forced to use a weakened or partially paralyzed arm by having their working arm or hand restrained in a sling or mitt recover more quickly. In a study of 222 patients, those who underwent "constraint-induced" therapy within three to nine months of their strokes were more capable of performing an array of tasks in follow-up tests than those who were not forced to use their affected arm. Participants in the study were instructed to wear the restraint -- either a sling or a cumbersome mitt -- during waking hours for two weeks. They also underwent physical therapy for several hours on weekdays, during which they wore the restraint. Most had suffered an ischemic stroke, the most common type where blood flow is temporarily blocked to part of the brain.

Stroke research update
The results of a large urban multiethnic study show that high fat and high sodium diets are both risk factors for stroke, investigators with the Northern Manhattan Study (NOMAS) report.

Within three months after experiencing a transient ischemic attack, commonly known as a mini stroke, more than 14 percent of people suffer a major stroke.

For seniors, eating tuna or fish that's been broiled or baked appears to lower stroke risk, but frying the catch of the day may increase it. Investigators found that people aged 65 and older who ordered frequent servings of tuna or other types of broiled or baked fish were up to 30 percent less likely than people who ate fish less than once per month to experience a stroke over a 12-year period.

The risk of having another stroke is tripled within one month if aspirin therapy is discontinued.

A stroke that robbed a woman of her dreams may help pinpoint where and how dreams are born in the brain. Scientists found the stroke had damaged areas deep in the back half of the brain, which is involved in the visual processing of faces and landmarks. Writing in the Annals of Neurology, they said the finding suggests that this area was crucial for dreams.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is associated with an increased risk of severe stroke. The results of individual trials have produced inconsistent results, explain Drs. Philip M. W. Bath and Laura J. Gray of the University of Nottingham, UK, in the British Medical Journal. Their goal therefore was to systematically review evidence from completed clinical trials analyzing the relationship between stroke and HRT. The team identified 28 trials that included nearly 40,000 women whose average age ranged from 55 to 71 years. The subjects were followed for about 1 to 7 years. The pooled data showed that, overall, the women who used hormone replacement had a 29 percent higher risk of stroke than those in comparison groups.

Levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the "good" cholesterol, are inversely associated with stroke risk in elderly men.

Vitamin E in the form of alpha tocopherol and beta-carotene supplements do not seem to have any preventive effects on stroke in middle-aged men who smoke.

Eating dark chocolate may help lower blood pressure, boost normal responses to insulin to keep blood sugar levels down, and improve blood vessel function in patients with high blood pressure, according to new research findings. All of these effects would be expected to decrease the risk of heart attack and stroke. The report in the July, 2005 journal Hypertension is just the most recent to link dark chocolate with beneficial health effects. In an earlier study, consumption of the bittersweet candy reduced blood pressure and increased insulin sensitivity in healthy subjects.

More evidence that fish consumption reduces the chances of having a stroke comes from an analysis of results from several large studies. In fact, the findings suggest that the incidence of ischemic stroke might be significantly reduced by consuming fish as seldom as 1 to 3 times per month. Ischemic stroke refers to a blockage of blood supply to the brain, as opposed to hemorrhagic stroke, which is caused by bleeding in the brain.

Following a stroke, treatment with the anti-clotting drug Plavix (clopidogrel) can help prevent future strokes and heart attack. Plavix doesn't work any better when given with the blood-thinner aspirin and, in fact, the risk of bleeding complications is increased.

The risk of having a stroke caused by a blockage of blood flow to the brain is lower on Sundays than on any other day of the week, new findings from Finland suggest. On Mondays, the occurrence of these so-called ischemic strokes is strikingly higher.

Add stroke to the list of health problems caused by a Western diet rich in red meat, white flour and sugar, researchers said on Thursday. A study of more than 71,000 nurses found those who ate a "prudent" diet rich in fruits, vegetables, fish, legumes and whole grains were less likely to have strokes than nurses eating a more typical American diet. Writing in the journal Stroke, the team at the Harvard School of Public Health said its study was the first to examine overall dietary habits and stroke risk. Health experts already say a diet high in animal fat, especially red meat, and low in fiber, fruits and vegetables raises the risk of heart disease, diabetes, some cancers and obesity. Stroke is the third-leading cause of death in the United States, killing nearly 170,000 people in 2003.

Prospective study of plasma carotenoids and tocopherols in relation to risk of ischemic stroke.
Stroke. 2004 Jul;35(7):1584-8.
Intake of fruits and vegetables has been related to lower risk of ischemic stroke, but nutrients responsible for this apparent benefit remain ill-defined. Tocopherols (vitamin E) have also been proposed to be protective. METHODS: We conducted a prospective, nested case-control analysis among male physicians without diagnosed cardiovascular disease followed-up for up to 13 years in the Physicians' Health Study. Samples from 297 physicians with ischemic stroke were analyzed with paired controls, matched for age and smoking, for 5 major carotenoids (alpha- and beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lutein, and lycopene), retinol, and alpha- and gamma-tocopherol. RESULTS: Baseline plasma levels of alpha-carotene and beta-carotene and lycopene tended to be inversely related to risk of ischemic stroke with an apparent threshold effect. As compared with men whose plasma levels were in the lowest quintile, the multivariate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) of ischemic stroke among men with levels in the second through fifth quintiles were 0.59 (95% CI, 0.36 to 0.98) for alpha-carotene, 0.62 (95% CI, 0.38 to 1.01) for beta-carotene, and 0.61 (95% CI, 0.37 to 1.00) for lycopene. A tendency toward an inverse association was found for beta-cryptoxanthin, but the result was not statistically significant. No association was found for lutein, retinol, and tocopherols. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that higher plasma levels of carotenoids, as markers of fruit and vegetable intake, are inversely related to risk of ischemic stroke and provide support for recommendations to consume fruits and vegetables regularly. stroke stroke of midnight stroke symptom sign of a stroke stroke prevention one stroke painting mini stroke.

Inosine inhibits glutamate postsynaptic responses and reduces cerebral infarction.
Danshen used in China for stroke
 

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Stroke prevention
Stroke is one of the feared conditions in old age and fortunately much can be done to reduce the risk. For one, how a food is prepared can make a difference. Seniors eating tuna or fish that's been broiled or baked appears to lower stroke risk, but frying the catch of the day may increase it. Investigators found that people aged 65 and older who ordered frequent servings of tuna or other types of broiled or baked fish were up to 30 percent less likely than people who ate fish less than once per month to experience a stroke over a 12-year period. Diet has a strong influence on the stroke prevention. For instance, eating fresh fruits and vegetables reduces the risk. Nutrients that may play a role in stroke prevention include fish oils, ginkgo biloba and vinpocetine.