Cerebral Infarction (Clinical) Flashcards
What is the global burden of stroke?
5 million stroke deaths each year
2nd leading cause of death worldwide
>15 million non-fatal strokes each year
>50 million stroke/TIA survivors alive
What is the UK stroke burden?
>100,000 new strokes per year
~75% of strokes occur in people > age 65
~1/3 of patients die within 1 year of stroke
1.2 million stroke survivors
50% of survivors remain dependent on others
Stroke accounts for more hospital and nursing home bed-days than any other condition.
Annual cost of stroke £26 billion (set to triple by 2035)
(includes direct health care costs, productivity loses due to mortality and morbidity, and informal care costs)
Stroke Risk _________ with Age
Stroke Risk Increases with Age
It is a disese of ageing
Are all stroke presentations the same?
No all different
depends what area of the brain is affected
What is a stroke?
is the sudden onset of focal or global neurological symptoms caused by ischemia or hemorrhage and lasting more than 24 hours
What are the 2 different types of stroke?
85% are ischaemic strokes
15% haemorrhagic strokes
What is a transient ischemic attack (TIA)?
the term used if the symptoms resolve within 24 hours
Most TIAs resolve within 1-60 min
Ischemic strokes make up 85% of strokes, what are the different types of ischemic strokes?
- Large artery atherosclerosis (e.g. Carotid) 35%
- Cardioembolic (e.g. atrial fibrillation) 25%
- Small artery occlusion (Lacune) 25%
- Undetermined/Cryptogenic 10-15%
- Rare causes <5%
- Arterial dissection
- Venous sinus thrombosis
Haemorrhagic strokes make up 15% of all strokes, what are the different types of haemorrhagic strokes?
- Primary intracerebral hemorrhage 70%
- Secondary hemorrhage 30%
- Subarachnoid hemorrhage
- Arteriovenous malformation
Wht are the 2 different types of risk factors for a stroke?
modifiable
non-modifiable
What are the non-modefiable risk factors for a stroke
Previous stroke
Age
Male
Family history
WHat are modifiable risk factors of a stroke?
the pill
smoking
western diet
obesity
high blood pressure
drugs
lack of exercise
What is the most important modifiable risk factor?
Hypertension
The most important modifiable risk factor
The risk of stroke is related to the level of blood pressure
Chronic hypertension exacerbates atheroma and increases involvement of smaller distal arteries
WHat are small end arteries more at risk of?
Small end arteries coming directly off large arteries experience higher pressure and are at risk of lipohyalinosis causing:
I. Lacunar ischaemic stroke
II. Small vessel haemorrahges
Especially in:
- Brainstem
- Basal ganglia
- Subcortical areas
How does smoking increase the risk of strokes?
·Smokers have:
- 2x increased risk of cerebral infarction
- 3x increased risk for sub-arachnoid hemorrhage
Some of the increased risk relates to the complications of cardiac problems
How does diabetes and lipids affect the risk of a stroke?
Diabetes mellitus increases the incidence of strokes 3x
Hypertension, cigarette smoke, and diabetes contribute to LDL-C deposition in arterial walls
How do lipids relate to the risk of a stroke?
The relationship between serum lipids and stroke is established
Risk related to development of atheroma in blood vessel walls
A high plasma level of low density lipoprotein (LDL) results in excessive amounts of LDL within the arterial wall
How does alcohol increase the risk of stroke?
Complex relationship
Small amounts of alcohol may decrease stroke risk
Heavy drinking increases the risk 2.5 x
How does inactivity and obesity (especially abdominal/thigh) increase the risk of a stroke?
independent risk factor for vascular disease including stroke
How does AF affect a persons risk of a stroke?
Prevalence of AF doubles with age: 9% at 80-90 years
5x increased risk embolic stroke
More severe strokes
Higher mortality and morbidity, longer hospital stays, and lower rates of discharge to patients’ own homes
What is used to help reduce the risk of ischemic strokes?
In patients with AF antiplatelets (e.g. Aspirin) have no benefit in reducing ischaemic stroke
Anticoagulants (warfarin and DOACS) reduce the risk of ischaemic stroke by 2/3rds
DOACS (e.g. Edoxaban and Apixaban) have less risk of causing bleeding than Warfarin
What are some other risk factors of a stroke?
Other cardiac causes (recent heart attack, myxoma, PFO - patent foramen ovale)
Oral contraceptives (+ HRT) with a high estrogen content. Progesterone-only OK
Hyper-coagulable states:
- malignancy
- genetic
What is the arterial circulation to the brain?
Anterior circulation:
2 x Internal carotid arteries
• 2 x Anterior Cerebral Artery (ACA)
• 2 x Middle Cerebral Artery (MCA)
Posterior circulation:
2 Vertebral arteries → 1 basilar
• 3 pairs of cerebellar arteries
• 2 Posterior cerebral arteries (PCA)
What are the anastomoses of the arterial supply to the brain?
Circle of Willis - via anterior + posterior communicating arteries
Borderzone anastomoses - between peripheral branches of anterior, middle and posterior cerebral arteries
image showing blood supply to the brain
The signs and symptoms the patient has should make _____: i.e. fit in with an _________ and an _____ of the brain
The signs and symptoms the patient has should make sense: i.e. fit in with an artery territory and an area of the brain
When making a diagnosis of a stroke, the diagnosis should give you the answers to what questions?
What is the neurological deficit?
Where is the lesion?
What is the lesion?
Why has the lesion occurred?
What are the potential complications and prognosis?
What is the functions of the frontal lobe?
High level cognitive functions ie. abstraction, concentration, reasoning
Memory
Control of voluntary eye movement
Motor control of speech (dominant hemisphere) - expressive dysphasia/Broca’s aphasia, “non fluent aphasia”, Brocas area critical for language pronunciation and production and articulation
Brocas area usually left inferior frontal hemisphere
Motor cortex
Urinary continence
Emotion and personality