Cerebrovascular Disease

Cerebrovascular Disease

Cerebral Vascular Disease (CVD) is the second most common disease that occurs acutely, after heart disease. This type of disease usually affects the elderly or young people who cope with stress and engage in smoking behaviors, which often come with other illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes, and high blood lipids. When left untreated for a long time, or if someone has abnormal blood vessels or aneurysms, they can experience impaired blood flow to the brain, constriction, or even rupture. However, this does not mean that everyone with a stroke or rupture due to CVD will know they have this history or risk, unless they have an annual health check.

Symptoms

Cerebrovascular disease is a potentially fatal or disabling disease caused by fat or blood clots in the cerebral arteries, leading to destruction of brain cells due to lack of oxygen. Symptoms of this disease often come on suddenly, and patients should pay close attention to their symptoms, as they can be unpredictable and may be fatal if overlooked. This silent threat should not be taken lightly.

Dangerous Signs

1. Walk: Not straight, staggering

2. Talk: Cannot pronounce clearly or cannot speak

3. Reach: Unable to reach and grab, lack strength, numbness of hands, arms, legs

4. Vision: Blurred, double vision

5. Feel: Severe headache or dizziness

Diagnosis

By focusing on the detection of specific lab values that could indicate a risk of stroke, we can identify people who may never have appeared in medical records before. However, stress or behavior in life can also result in a stroke, and the critical moment of the brain cannot be known for sure. To determine the constriction of blood vessels in the brain that caused the symptoms, or the location of any ruptures, a computerized medical x-ray device or an MRI scan is necessary in order to receive prompt treatment.

Treatment

Stage 1: If a patient is showing symptoms of thromboembolism such as body numbness, loss of consciousness, relatives should bring the patient to a doctor within the first 2-3 hours. In this case, if it is not more than 3 hours, the doctor can give medicine to dissolve the blood clot in the brain, which is more effective than if the patient does not receive the drug.

Stage 2: If the patient has cerebral hemorrhage, they will need treatment and surgery. Key Hole Surgery is an innovation that can be used, which involves making a small hole in the head to drain the blood from the brain. This has many advantages, as it has a very small surgical wound and doesn't take long to recover. However, this group of patients is at risk of disability or may recover more slowly than the first group.

The best advice for patients is that if they are showing symptoms, they should see a doctor as soon as possible within 3 hours by choosing a hospital that has a team of specialists with expertise in cerebrovascular disease and closely caring for the patient (Fast Stroke Tract). They should also do rehabilitation medicine and observe themselves regularly, as it is hard to predict when a stroke may occur. The only proper answer to alleviate these crisis symptoms is to reach a doctor as soon as possible.

Caring for the Disease

Taking care of yourself to protect from disease should start at a young age. Regular exercise is important to stay healthy and fit, and it is also important to check risk factors such as blood pressure, blood lipids, and liver values regularly. Additionally, it is important to check your heart regularly. Eating nutritious foods, avoiding stress, and getting enough sleep are also important for overall health and to help prevent disease.

Dr. Prompong Peerabul

Neurosurgeon, Vibhavadi Hospital