BY: ANTHONY NICHOLLS AHFC#22 ASSESSMENT TASK 1 UNIT 2 CARDIOVASCULAR AND RESPIRATORY SYSTEM

When the supply of blood is suddenly disrupted to the brain, that is a stroke. Blood vessels called arteries carry blood to the brain. When an artery is blocked by a blood clot or plaque, or because the artery breaks or bursts, that’s when blood may stop moving through the arteries to the brain.

There are many factors that contribute to a stroke which can be preventable like smoking which increases your chance by 4, binge drinking which a man that drinks 3-4 drinks per day are 42% more likely to get a stroke, eating healthy can prevent a stroke and being physically active. Factors that can not be controlled is your ageing, gender and family history of a stroke. Diabetics are also a risk factor

: Number of persons experiencing stroke, Australia,

The brain controls the way we move, think, speak, and eat. Everything we do is controlled by different parts of the brain. When a stroke happens, we lose the ability to do things that, the part of the brain controls. We may not be able to move one side of the body or have trouble thinking or speaking.

The way in which people are affected by stroke depends on where in the brain the stroke occurs, and on the size of the stroke. For example, someone who has a small stroke may experience only minor effects. On the other hand, someone who has a larger stroke may be left totally paralysed on one side, in a coma or may die due to the extent of the damage. Stroke is always a medical emergency. It is important to recognise the early signs of a stroke or TIA.

Stroke is Australia ’ s second single greatest killer after coronary heart disease and a leading cause of disability. In 2009, Australians will suffer around 60,000 new and recurrent strokes – that ’ s one stroke every 10 minutes. One in five people having a first-ever stroke die within one month and one in three die within a year. The number of strokes will increase each year due to the ageing population unless something is done to reduce the incidence rate.

In the next ten years more than half a million people will suffer a stroke. Stroke kills more women than breast cancer. About 88 per cent of stroke survivors live at home and most have a disability. Close to 20 per cent of all strokes occur to people under 55 years old. Strokes cost Australia an estimated $2.14 billion a year.

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