Table of contents:
- Recognize stroke and its possible impact on children
- Can children recover from stroke?
- 1. Treatment
- 2. Neuroradiology intervention
- 3. Surgery
Not only in the elderly, stroke can be experienced by anyone, including children. This nightmare makes parents wonder, what impact will this stroke have on their child and is there any chance of recovery? Try to see the answer below.
Recognize stroke and its possible impact on children
This health problem is rare in children. However, this is the time for you to know about the impact of stroke and lifestyle management on children.
Stroke is a condition when the blood supply to the brain is blocked or stopped. There are usually two types of stroke, namely:
- Ischemic stroke: caused by insufficient blood flow to the brain
- Bleeding or hemorrhagic stroke: the presence of bleeding in the brain
If a blood vessel in the brain is injured, the brain and surrounding tissue loses its blood supply and may suffer injury. If so, the child needs long-term care, but it depends on the condition of each child.
However, there are conditions when children have only transient ischemic attacks (TIA). This attack occurs when the blood supply to the brain is interrupted for only a short time. These symptoms last only a few minutes or hours, and disappear completely. Usually within 24 hours.
In adults, transient ischemic attacks do not cause permanent damage to the brain. Meanwhile, attacks that occur in children, usually they experience brain injuries, but there are no accompanying symptoms.
When a child has a stroke, parents are certainly worried about how it will affect the child in the future? The impact of stroke on children may not be as noticeable when the child is very young, especially in the early stages of development. However, there are several symptoms of stroke in children that can be identified, such as the following.
- weakness or numbness on one side of the body
- slurred or difficulty speaking
- difficult to balance when walking
- vision problems, such as blurred vision or double vision
- lethargic and sleepy suddenly
- seizures
- memory is weak
- changes in mood or attitude
If you find symptoms like the above, it's a good idea for parents to have their child checked by a doctor immediately. The doctor will diagnose the child's condition with various tests to find out if he has had a stroke or other health problem.
Stroke is a brain damage, which may have several effects in the future, such as:
- cerebal palsy
- inhibition of cognitive development and learning
- paralysis or weakness of the body on one side
- difficulty communicating
- visual disturbances
- psychological disorder
The condition of the child who has had a stroke needs special treatment according to the doctor's recommendation. Especially to manage the lifestyle and the impact of stroke on children.
Can children recover from stroke?
After parents know the conditions and the possible impact on their children, many hope for the child's recovery from stroke. Healing is part of a series of care and management processes that your little one needs to undergo.
In the early stages of a stroke, children need treatment to overcome the stroke that supports the smooth flow of blood. These treatments are in the form of:
1. Treatment
Administration of aspirin or blood thinning drugs (anticoagulation), as well as special vitamins. If the child has sickle cell disease and stroke, it can be treated with hydroxyurea treatment or a transfusion.
2. Neuroradiology intervention
This procedure is performed by placing a catheter in the abnormal blood vessel. Catheters are also used to treat blood clots in blood vessels and help restore blood flow to the brain.
3. Surgery
This operation is needed depending on the condition of the child who has had a stroke. One of them, when there is severe brain swelling.
Talk about recovery, depending on the child's stroke condition. Because the location of the stroke in the brain can cause a variety of effects previously mentioned.
Overall, a developing child's brain has a better chance of recovering from a stroke than an adult's stroke. Parents must know, earlier diagnosis and treatment can reduce the risk and impact of prolonged stroke on children. So, there is still a chance the child will recover from this health problem.
