Stroke treatment:
The faster, the better

At the first signs of a Stroke , it's not too late to prevent it. If you go to a Stroke center within four hours, there's a good chance the blocked blood vessel can be reopened and brain damage prevented.
Following this acute treatment, you will need to be monitored in a specialized Stroke unit to prevent complications and determine the cause of the blood vessel blockage. This usually takes a few days.
If the Stroke could not be prevented by reopening a blood vessel, Rehabilitation must begin immediately. The initial focus should be on restoring your mobility and ensuring you can swallow safely. Rehabilitation measures will then be intensified – the sooner, the better.

Specialized Rehabilitation clinic like Cereneo focus, among other things, on this period. The first few months after a Stroke are crucial for addressing movement, speech, and/or Cognitive impairment . The longer one waits to begin Neurorehabilitation , the more difficult the Recovery becomes.

What does that mean?

A full Recovery is most likely in the first few weeks after a Stroke , but can also be achieved later through individually tailored inpatient Rehabilitation , which addresses all areas of deficit in several sessions daily. The focus of Rehabilitation is on restoring lost bodily functions such as movement or speech, rather than compensating for them with assistive devices or lifestyle modifications. An examination typically reveals which functions can be restored, for example, independent walking instead of a wheelchair or walker.

Learn more about inpatient Rehabilitation at Cereneo or Request a quote.

At cereneo, we support you in every phase of your Recovery process.

The typical symptoms of a Stroke are:

• Very severe, sudden headaches
• Persistent dizziness with gait instability.

Symptoms that typically occur on only one side include:

• facial expression hanging
• Weakness in the arms or legs, or inability to move at all,
• difficulties walking
• Difficulties with speaking
• Numbness, tingling or Paralysis / Paresis ,
• Confusion and disorientation
• Visual, auditory, olfactory or gustatory disorders.

Symptoms that specifically affect women

Women often experience additional, rather atypical symptoms that can be underestimated and misinterpreted. These symptoms include:

• sudden fainting spells or loss of consciousness
• Shortness of breath,
• cramps,
• Pain in limbs and joints.

In case of suspected Stroke , quick action and immediate medical assistance are crucial. Time is the deciding factor!

A Stroke can affect anyone at any age. However, the risk increases with age and is significantly influenced by individual lifestyle. Statistically, women have a higher risk Stroke than men, mainly due to their longer life expectancy.

What are the main risk factors for a Stroke ?

• High blood pressure,
•  Cigarette smoking or passive smoking,
• high cholesterol levels
• Diabetes,
• diet high in fat and salt
• undetected cardiac arrhythmias,
• heavy alcohol consumption
• Lack of exercise
• excessive stress.

Specific risk factors for women
Factors that can increase the risk of Stroke , especially in women, include:

• Cardiac arrhythmias, such as atrial fibrillation, i.e., an irregular heartbeat,
• Migraine with aura (headaches in which the pain phase is announced by certain sensory disturbances (aura)),
• the use of hormonal preparations such as the pill.

There are many ways to prevent a Stroke , and it is recommended that every person over 50 undergo a Stroke risk assessment as part of a regular health check-up.

If you have an increased risk Stroke , you should reduce your risk factors gradually. Trying to change everything at once is almost impossible, leads to frustration, and is often demotivating, so in the end you change nothing at all.

It's much better to tackle the measures one at a time – a good start is changing your eating habits. If you'd like to learn more about your Stroke risk or how to reduce your risk factors, you can request a quote for a Stroke risk assessment or schedule an appointment Online consultation with one of our neurologists. In collaboration with CERENEO PREVENTION We offer special programs to reduce the risk of Stroke .

Useful tips for preventative measures

Something everyone can do is improve their diet. There are so many delicious and healthy foods! Changing your diet doesn't mean constantly feeling hungry and experiencing cravings. That's often the result of completely eliminating certain nutrients, like carbohydrates. Here are a few tips:

• Replace nutrient-poor, high-sugar carbohydrates such as chocolate, cakes, cookies, and refined carbohydrates such as white rice, white pasta, white bread, and croissants with nutrient-rich, high-fiber carbohydrates such as whole grains, seeds, nuts, legumes, vegetables, and fruit.
  Nutrient-rich carbohydrates help you feel full for longer, have a positive effect on digestion and ensure a stable energy level.
• It is recommended to eat 30 different types of fruit and vegetables per week. That sounds like a lot, even for a die-hard fruit and vegetable fan!
  Our tip: Start with 10 in the first week and after 4 weeks you might already reach 25 – a great success!
• Take your time and don't expect magical weight loss like in Hollywood – which usually doesn't last very long: For a dietary change that leads to a long-term change in eating habits, you should give yourself 4 to 6 months.
• If you feel like it every now and then, you can treat yourself, or instead, put on your sneakers and go for a walk.

Sometimes it is helpful to seek professional advice from a qualified nutritionist at the beginning.