Stroke: Symptoms, Causes And Other Things About Brain's Equivalent Of Heart Attack

Zerodha Founder and Chief Executive Officer Nithin Kamath, recently revealed that he suffered a mild stroke six weeks ago. He said although he does not know what exactly caused it, he thinks that a combination of factors including his father's death, poor sleep, exhaustion and overworking could be the reasons.

What is a stroke?

Stoke or simply an interruption in the blood supply of the brain causes inadequacy of oxygen supply resulting in brain damage that disturbs the brain functions. The brain cells don't obtain the oxygen they require to function if the blood flow is poor. It is one of the leading causes of death and disability globally. It can result in lasting brain damage, long-term disability, or even death, as per Centre for Disease Control.

There are two types of strokes- ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke. Ischemic stroke is the more common type. It accounts for about 87 per cent of all strokes. It is usually caused by a blood clot that blocks or plugs a blood vessel in the brain. This keeps blood from flowing to the brain. Within minutes, brain cells begin to die.

Some individuals might only experience transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), which are brief interruptions in the blood supply to the brain.

Hemorrhagic strokes occur due to sudden bleeding. An artery inside or on top of the brain may burst and cause the same. The brain swells as a result of the blood leak, increasing pressure in the brain and potentially damaging brain cells.

Symptoms

As per Mayo Clinic, identifying symptoms can help one seek medical treatment on time. It is to be noted that Mr Kamath did not specify any symptoms of his mild stroke.

• Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg (especially on one side of the body)
• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking, or difficulty understanding speech
• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance, or coordination
• Sudden, severe headache with no known cause

'BE FAST' is an acronym and useful tool that helps identify stroke symptoms quickly. Each letter in the acronym stands for a crucial feature of stroke symptoms:

B: Loss of balance. 
E: Loss of vision in one or both eyes
F: One side of the face is drooping
A: Feeling of weakness or numbness in one of the arms
S:  Slurring in speech
T:  Time to call the emergency services and get emergency care 

Causes

Strokes are mainly caused either by a blocked artery in the brain or by leaking or bursting of a blood vessel in the brain. As per Mayo Clinic, other causes include high blood pressure, overtreatment with blood thinners, bulges at weak spots in the blood vessel walls, known as aneurysms, head trauma, brain tumours or clotting disorders.

Risk Factors

Stroke risk can be increased by a variety of causes including lifestyle and medical factors. 

Lifestyle risk factors include obesity, physical inactivity, heavy drinking, smoking or use of illegal drugs. Medical risk factors include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, family history of stroke, heart attack or transient ischemic attack and cardiovascular disease, according to Mayo Clinic.