If I say that stroke is a terrible disease, no one will be surprised. What's more: I would not say anything new to what we all already know. Because that's how it is. A terrible disease. But let us look at some technical aspects that, inevitably, will help us to get a better glimpse of this status of which today, by the way, is the World Stroke Day. Stroke represents the sudden loss of a neurological function, caused by a variety of factors, including a blockage of one of the arteries supplying the brain by a clot or thrombus that causes a lack of oxygenation to the brain, or a cerebral or subarachnoid hemorrhage (subarachnoid hemorrhage is the spilling of blood into the subarachnoid space, where cerebrospinal fluid normally circulates). It is also one of the most common causes of mortality, in fact, according to the WHO, in 2012 it was the second leading cause of death worldwide, surpassed only by heart attacks. And it is also one of the leading causes of disability. As you can see, medical manuals or sociological programs of study leave us with a more than desolate landscape. One more fact: the Stroke Observatory, a platform multidisciplinary that brings together experts from different fields related to this disease, states that 1 in 6 Spaniards will suffer a stroke in their lifetime. This represents a very high percentage of incidence and, by the way, for many it is quite unknown.

Historically, before 1995, very little could be done therapeutically as an emergency intervention in the event of a stroke. Since then, thanks to a study by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes (NINDS) in the United States, it was demonstrated that a select group of stroke patients could be treated with thrombolytic agents (i.e., those that dissolve blood clots) if they were treated within the first three hours. An action that reduced the Degree of disability or permanent brain damage. This study led to the development of a series of intervention strategies.

After this, the next step in stroke management is the rehabilitation of those who have survived and develop a disability. The goal of such rehabilitation is to reestablish sense and motor skills, lost after the stroke, and cognitive skills. It is important not to lose sight of the psychological factor, depression and communication problems also come into play when suffering from such a disease. This rehabilitation should begin as soon as possible, with a multidisciplinary team that includes, among many others, neurologist, psychiatrist, physiatrist, therapists and nursing staff .

As patients at risk, and without putting ourselves in the worst situation, we can ask ourselves what we could do to reduce as much as possible the chances of suffering a stroke; how can we manage its consequences? Preventively, we could start by modifying our behavior to a healthier lifestyle, such as not smoking, controlling high blood pressure, moderating salt intake, controlling diabetes and maintaining an active lifestyle, among other things. It never hurts to familiarize ourselves beforehand with medical centers or emergency rooms in our community that have units specialized in the urgent management of stroke, so that we can manage the status at the first symptoms. Currently, modern medicine is developing increasingly efficient mechanisms for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke, so that mortality and disability can be reduced, and there are multidisciplinary rehabilitation teams that will be present to assist us in the process.