A recent survey of 1,000 adults shows that nearly half – 47% – worry more about losing their sight than about losing their memory and their ability to walk or hear. But almost 30% indicated that they don’t get their eyes checked. Many Americans are unaware of the warning signs of eye diseases and conditions [...]

Reye’s syndrome is a potentially fatal disease that causes numerous detrimental effects to many organs, especially the brain and liver, as well as causing hypoglycemia.[1] The exact cause is unknown, and while it has been associated with aspirin consumption by children with viral illness, it also occurs in the absence of aspirin use. The disease [...]

Encephalocele, sometimes known by the Latin name cranium bifidum, is a neural tube defect characterized by sac-like protrusions of the brain and the membranes that cover it through openings in the skull. These defects are caused by failure of the neural tube to close completely during fetal development. Encephaloceles cause a groove down the middle [...]

What is Hydrocephalus? Hydrocephalus is an abnormal buildup of the brain’s normal water-like fluid (cerebrospinal fluid or CSF). What is cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)? Cerebrospinal Fluid is a clear fluid that bathes the brain and spinal cord, providing a cushion, nutrients and carrying away waste. This fluid is made in the ventricles of the brain. The [...]

Next Steps Strokes are preventable! The most important thing you can do is to get your blood pressure checked and treated if it is high. Have your blood pressure checked and monitored by a doctor. Even moderately high blood pressure over years can lead to a stroke. Treat high cholesterol with diet and exercise and [...]

Drugs for acute stroke: Currently, only 1 medicine is approved to treat new strokes. It is the clot-busting medication called tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA). This medicine works with the body’s own chemicals and helps dissolve the blockage in the blood vessel in the brain that may be causing the stroke. It is the same drug [...]

The initial treatment for stroke is supportive. You usually will be given fluids through an IV because if you’re having a stroke, you may often be dehydrated. Oxygen may be given to be sure that your brain is getting the maximal amount. If you have any difficulty breathing, this will be assessed and treated. Unlike [...]

Self-Care at Home Stroke is a medical emergency and seconds count. Brain cells begin to die within 4 minutes of the beginning of a stroke. Call 911 for emergency medical transport to a hospital’s emergency department. Current treatments for acute stroke must be given by a doctor and within a short time of the onset [...]

The doctor takes a medical history of the person who may have had a stroke and performs a physical examination, which includes looking at blood pressure and pulse, heart and lungs, as well as a neurologic examination. The doctor may be able to tell what is going on simply from the examination. Most of the time, however, [...]

The symptoms of a stroke depend on what part of the brain and how much of the brain tissue is affected. Stroke symptoms usually come on suddenly-in minutes to an hour. There is usually no pain associated with the symptoms. The symptoms may come and go, go away totally, or get worse over the course [...]