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Tuesday, 12 November 2024 2.57 PM IST

Silent stroke: Villain we often ignore

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A silent stroke comes without any noticeable symptoms. Most strokes are caused by a clot that blocks a blood vessel in the brain. This blockage prevents blood and oxygen from reaching that area, causing nearby brain cells to die. Depending on the location of the clot, it can cause symptoms like weakness in an arm or leg, facial deviation, slurring of speech, balance problems or difficulty in vision. In silent stroke, the area of damage is quite small and occurs in a part of the brain that doesn't control any vital functions, so the stroke remains undetected ischemic strokes. Silent strokes happen when the blood supply to a part of your brain is suddenly cut off, depriving your brain of oxygen and damaging brain cells.

Contributing factors to a silent stroke include:

  • Blood clots- Cerebral small vessel disease of brain
  • High blood pressure
  • Narrowed arteries
  • High cholesterol
  • Diabetes
  • Obstructive sleep apnea

Symptoms of silent stroke are so subtle that they’re often mistaken for signs of aging, like:

  • Balance problems
  • Frequent falls
  • Urine leakage
  • Changes in your mood
  • Decreased ability to think

According to the American Stroke Association, silent strokes also increase your risk of having a symptomatic stroke. Having multiple silent strokes puts you at risk for Vascular dementia also known as multi-infarct dementia. Symptoms of vascular dementia include:

  • Memory problems
  • Emotional issues, like laughing or crying at inappropriate times
  • Changes to your way of walking
  • Getting lost in places that should be familiar to you
  • Trouble making decisions
  • Losing bowel and bladder control

We can diagnose silent strokes from these subtle symptoms and imaging like CT or MRI Brain.

Treatment of silent stroke

  • Cerebral small vessel disease brain -prevention of risk factors and Antiplatelet and anti-cholesterol agents.
  • Cognitive dysfunction - Rehabilitation can help people who have lost some of their abilities, cognitive rehabilitation by physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech-language therapist, and mental health professionals.

You can do many small, practical things to help your memory if silent strokes have impaired your cognitive abilities. Try these steps:

  • Practice routines for completing specific tasks at certain times of the day.
  • Create habits for putting things you need, like medication and keys, in the same spot every day.
  • Make to-do lists and instruction lists to help you remember the steps to complicated tasks.
  • Use a pill box to help you keep track of medications.
  • Set up direct payments of your bills so you don’t have to memorize due dates.
  • Play memory games to sharpen your skills.

To prevent silent stroke :

  • Manage your blood pressure( less than 130/80), blood sugar (less than 140 mg/dl)and cholesterol ( less than 200 mg/dl)
  • Stay physically active
  • Reduce your salt intake
  • Maintain a moderate weight.
  • Avoid smoking
  • Eat a healthy diet

Like ischemic strokes, silent strokes happen when the blood supply gets cut off to a small area in the brain damaging the brain cells. Silent strokes have cumulative effects on the brain’s health and physical and mental abilities.

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The author is an Associate Consultant, Department of Neurology, KIMSHEALTH.

TAGS: SILENT STROKES, IGNORED, VILLAIN, HEART, COGNITIVE, MENTAL
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