What Men And Women Over 50 Need To Know About Strokes And Stroke Symptoms

Many men and women over 50 may experience one or more strokes in their lifetime... so it is beneficial to understand more about them and the devastation they can cause to our lives and the lives of people who care about us. A stroke can affect a person's speech, memory, ability to walk or even move, understanding of other people's speech, reading, writing, hearing, sense of smell and taste, problem solving capabilities, and if it is severe, it can render a person permanently disabled or cause death.


A stroke in a man or woman over 50 can occur in various situations:

• If the blood supply to the brain gets temporarily cut off, often caused by a blood clot in the carotid artery which refuses to dissolve.

• Damage of the vasculature (blood vessels) in a specific part of the brain or neck which can be caused by some sort of trauma, e.g. a car accident, causing bleeding into the nervous tissue.

• A burst aneurysm, which is basically a swelling in an artery caused by a weakened artery wall.

• During or soon after a carotid endarterectomy which is a vascular surgical procedure that strips out the inner lining of the carotid artery in order to remove the embedded plaque.

Symptoms of a stroke in men and women over 50:

Symptoms of stroke may include blurred or decreased vision, very severe headaches, weakness, paralysis of the face and often additional paralysis down one side of the body including an arm and leg, numbness, poor balance and coordination, and slurred or incoherent speech.

There are basically two different types of strokes - Ischemic and Hemorrhagic:

Ischemic Strokes

Ischemic strokes are the most common type of strokes (about 80%) and are caused by one or more blood clots, which are stopping or restricting blood flow to the brain, or an obstruction or restriction in an artery. Ischemic strokes are a leading cause of death and disability; they can be treated with a drug called t-PA that dissolves the blood clots. Ischemic strokes can be classified as thrombotic (blood clots) and embolic (obstruction of a blood vessel). A mini-stroke is referred to as a TIA (transient ischemic attack).

Hemorrhagic Strokes

A hemorrhagic stroke results from a ruptured blood vessel which causes blood to leak in the brain. Hemorrhagic transformation can happen when complications arise in acute cases of ischemic stroke and this can be very difficult to treat and can often be fatal. Emergency treatment for this type of stroke is to control as much as possible intracranial pressure.

Strokes and Women

Men and women generally have many similar risk factors and symptoms of stroke but women are also vulnerable to FMD (a condition called Fibromuscular Dysplasia), in which general ongoing deterioration of arterial blood vessels triggers a stroke, and women have a risk of stroke during and immediately after pregnancy. In 2002 there were approximately three times as many women's deaths due to strokes as deaths due to breast cancer in England and Wales. After menopause, women have a higher risk of cardiovascular problems which could lead to a stroke. Despite these gloomy statistics for women, men have more likelihood of suffering a stroke than women do.

It is advisable to have regular health checks, and to take and to put into effect suitable advice to reduce your chances of having a stroke.