Stroke: Prevention and Consequences

If large or vital brain areas are affected, a stroke can be fatal. Severe impairment of voluntary movements (motor function), severe disturbances in the function of sensory organs (for example, eyes, ears, vestibular organ), pronounced dysfunction of internal organs including excretory organs are also possible. Bedriddenness increases the risk of thrombosis, embolism as well as pneumonia. Intellectual performance may also be impaired. Especially after several strokes, this can lead to dementia.

Consequences of stroke

After a stroke, how well the damage recedes naturally plays a decisive role. Although complete recoveries are conceivable in individual cases, in most major strokes, more or less pronounced permanent impairments must be expected.

Since numerous individual factors play a major role in the further course of the disease, prognoses are very difficult to make in individual cases. In principle, however, the acute functional deficits that occur even in major strokes can partially disappear over the course of several weeks or months. Of decisive importance here is the extent to which other, still intact brain areas can step in and take over functions of the lost brain tissue.

Measures for prevention

It is not uncommon for a stroke to be followed by others – after all, triggering risk factors such as arteriosclerosis usually persist. Conversely, however, it is also true that a stroke can be prevented with all those measures that are also indicated for the prevention of other vascular diseases. These include, above all:

  • Weight regulation in case of overweight
  • Diet as well as medication in case of hypertension, dyslipidemia or diabetes
  • Nicotine abstinence
  • Sufficient physical exercise

Because of this particular importance of hypertension in the development of stroke, adequate control of blood pressure is a top priority.