Stroke Introduction

A stroke involves a either a partial or complete lack of blood flow to the brain, thus cutting off the transport of essential nutrients and oxygen that are vital to proper brain functioning. If blood circulation remains blocked, brain cells begin to die, which can lead to irreversible brain damage. The main form of a stroke that I will be focusing on in this blog is an ischemic stroke--that which is caused by a congested or clogged artery, thus causing ischemia, or severely reduced blood flow (Mayo Clinic).
This is a video that describes the general process of a stroke for a more clear explanation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryIGnzodxDs

     Epidemiology of stroke: In the US specifically, stroke is becoming an increasing problem, not only accounting for almost 130,000 deaths per year. Not only this, but the prevalence of this disease is approximately 795,000 incidences per year in the United States (CDC).
     Pathophysiology of a stroke: The most influential underlying disease that can be a precursor to a stroke is heart or blood vessel disease. There are a number of influential risk factors that cannot be prevented, such as age, gender, ethnicity, and family history, but there are also controllable risk factors, such as lowering high blood pressure, lowering negative cholesterol, cessation of smoking, and control of diabetic conditions that can largely be related to and controlled by nutrition (Stroke Center).
     Treatment: An incidence of a stroke must be treated extremely quickly in order to prevent or limit brain damage to restore the nutrient supply to the brain. This could be carried out by an emergency treatment with medications, such as aspirin or an IV injection of tissue plasma activator, or by catheter insertion of medication or a mechanical clot removal method (Mayo Clinic).
     Prevention of ischemic stroke: The simplest way to prevent a stroke is by ensuring that you have proper nutrition, because a healthy diet is essential to proper blood flow in the body and to the brain. An unhealthy diet can lead to the congestion of arteries and heart disease, which increases the risk for stroke. For individuals who have experienced previous stroke, doctors may perform a surgery that "opens an artery that's narrowed by fatty deposits" (Mayo Clinic), by either a carotid endarterectomy or angioplasty and stents.
     Policy Implications of stroke: Comparatively, stroke has gotten much less attention in health policy creation than other diseases, such as AIDS, cancer, and others. Because stroke can have such a profound impact on quality of life, it needs to be addressed with more urgency. The largest issue that policy makers have been facing when articulating stroke-related policy is determining if a health implementation is effective both in outcome and cost. There has been research in different types of stroke, as well as the rehabilitation procedures for both ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, with insufficient information to create a standard rehabilitation procedure (American Heart Association). The biggest policy implementation needs to be that of preventative measures, encouraging proper nutrition and physical activity in order to prevent the controllable precursors to stroke.

Sources:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/stroke/symptoms-causes/dxc-20117265
http://www.cdc.gov/stroke/facts.htm
http://www.strokecenter.org/professionals/stroke-management/for-pharmacists-counseling/pathophysiology-and-etiology/
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/stroke/diagnosis-treatment/treatment/txc-20117296
http://stroke.ahajournals.org/content/34/2/370.full