Poor blood circulation in the brain, symptoms, causes, treatment. Causes of development and symptoms of cerebrovascular accident. Symptoms of initial cerebrovascular insufficiency

Affects the health of the entire body. A disruption in its functioning can lead to tissues no longer receiving enough oxygen and nutrients. As a result, metabolism will slow down or even hypoxia may occur. Because of such problems, serious pathologies can develop.

Clinical manifestations of the disease

On early stages There are no signs of hemodynamic disturbances. And even after some time, the symptoms of this disease are so nonspecific that it is impossible to immediately detect the disease. The main signs of poor circulation are as follows:

Lack of desire to eat.
Deterioration of immunity.
Cold extremities.
Feeling of tingling and numbness in the hands.
Brittle hair and nails.
Varicose veins
Constant fatigue.
The appearance of ulcers on the legs.
Changes in skin pigmentation.
Swelling.

Prevalence

And the treatment of which is interrelated can lead to a stroke. It is for this reason that as soon as a person experiences the first signs of such a pathology, it is necessary to immediately consult a doctor. After all, only timely and effective therapy aimed at improving blood circulation in the brain will avoid negative consequences.

Poor blood flow in the hands

Poor circulation in the extremities leads to deterioration of blood circulation in the body. This condition occurs due to the fact that the resulting plaques clog the blood vessels.

The most common symptoms of this disease include numbness in the fingers, headaches, swelling in the elbows and hands, tingling, cold extremities syndrome, and deterioration of the nails.

Poor blood circulation in the hands usually occurs due to the following reasons:

Abuse of caffeine, alcohol and drugs.
Diabetes.
Smoking.
High blood pressure.
Sedentary lifestyle.
High cholesterol.

People who are found to have poor circulation in your hands, you need to eat more foods containing fiber, and also try to consume low-fat foods, because most often it is because of such food that plaques are formed that block blood vessels. This is why many patients with this disease are advised to lose weight.

Those who want to improve blood circulation in the extremities should definitely eat foods rich in vitamins E and C. If you have poor blood circulation, you should also drink enough water. Watermelon juice is especially useful for this disease.

Patients are strongly advised to maintain the body and spine in the correct position to ensure continuous blood flow without difficulty or obstruction. To prevent numbness in your hands, keep them in a comfortable position while sleeping.

Poor blood circulation in the legs

Poor circulation in the extremities can lead to many health problems. If no action is taken against such an illness, the consequences can be severe.

The main cause of circulatory disorders in the legs is various. This problem occurs when a plaque of fatty substances forms on the walls of the peripheral arteries, which hardens. The formed hardening impedes the movement of blood through the veins and arteries.

Often, impaired blood circulation is caused by the use of drugs and certain medications, sedentary and wrong image life. Quite often, poor blood flow to the legs is observed with atherosclerosis. These problems also occur in people who suffer from anemia, smoke a lot and eat poorly.

If blood circulation is impaired, tingling sensations appear in the lower limbs, convulsions, black and blue spots, most often occurring in calf muscles, as well as a feeling of numbness.

To obtain an accurate diagnosis, the patient will have to undergo one of next examinations: arterial angiography, Dopplerography, CTA or MRA. Doctors compare blood pressure levels in the ankles and arms to check how well blood is flowing through the extremities.

Therapeutic measures depend on the severity of the blockage of the veins and arteries. Mild and moderate forms of the disease are treated with medications and various creams. Aerobics is also recommended.

Severe circulatory disorders in the legs are treated exclusively with a surgical procedure: endarterectomy, angioplasty, peripheral bypass, revascularization, or atherectomy.

Consequences of poor circulation

If circulatory problems are left untreated, myocardial infarction may occur. Moreover, the risk of stroke increases. In some cases, poor circulation leads to critical ischemia. You can avoid such complications only if you undergo regular examinations.

Improving blood circulation using folk methods

If poor blood circulation is diagnosed, what to do in this case? For quick fix The main treatment for the disease should be combined with folk remedies.

To do effective remedy, necessary in a glass with warm water dissolve a small spoon of table salt and the same amount of sea salt. This liquid should be sucked in through your nostrils and your breath should be held for a few seconds. You should be treated with this solution for about 10 days.

To improve blood circulation in the legs, the following recipe will help: a pod of chopped hot pepper, a tablespoon of dry mustard and a little sea salt. Mix everything and pour a glass of vodka. The resulting mixture is infused for at least 10 days in a dark place. The limbs are rubbed with this product, after which woolen socks are put on. It is better to do the procedure before bedtime.

It helps a lot to get rid of this problem saline solution. To do this, dilute 5 tablespoons of sea salt in a glass warm water. Then a small piece of cotton wool is soaked in the solution and inserted into the nose for 20 minutes, keeping the head thrown back.

Prevention of blood flow disorders

To avoid problems with the circulatory system, it is necessary first of all to reduce cholesterol, and also overcome physical inactivity. Refusal bad habits helps reduce the risk of developing such pathologies. In addition, it is important to treat on time infectious diseases, causing complications.

Circulatory disorders are a concept that covers many disorders, causing deficiency blood circulation of tissues. In this case, the flow is disrupted arterial blood to tissues and the outflow of venous blood from them. Due to circulatory failure, tissues begin to experience oxygen deficiency, cellular metabolism is disrupted, and cells die. A cerebrovascular accident usually leads to a stroke.

Symptoms of cerebrovascular insufficiency

Vision problems - blurriness, double vision, decreased field of vision.
Speech disorders.
Pathological changes in the perception of objects, people, phenomena. A person may not recognize his loved ones, or use objects for other purposes.
Paralysis - difficulty moving limbs, facial muscles, eyes.
Headache.
Dizziness.
Loss of tongue sensitivity.
Significant difficulties in coordinating movements.
High risk of stroke.

What are the causes of the pathology?

The main reason is atherosclerosis. This is a disease accompanied by the formation of fatty plaques on the inner walls of the arteries, gradually blocking them and impeding blood flow through them. Before clinical symptoms appear, the narrowing of the carotid artery can be 75%. Platelets accumulate in affected areas, forming blood clots, the separation of which from the wall of a blood vessel can lead to blockage of blood vessels in the brain. Blood clots can also form in the brain.

Other causes of cerebrovascular accidents are heart and blood vessel diseases, degenerative changes cervical spine. Stroke can be caused by rheumatic heart disease, changes in the heart valves, migraines, stress and physical strain. Impaired cerebral circulation can be a consequence of trauma, for example, resulting from a short-term pinching of the neck by a seat belt (the so-called “whiplash”) in a traffic accident. Due to a slight tear in the wall of the carotid artery, blood begins to collect in it, which leads to blockage of the artery. Cerebral circulation disorders can cause: cerebral bleeding, radiation sickness, complicated migraine, etc.

Typically, cerebrovascular accidents begin to appear in people over 50 years of age. Doctors distinguish four stages of the pathological process:

Stage I: asymptomatic cerebrovascular accidents - the patient has no complaints. The disease is usually not diagnosed or is accidentally discovered during an examination of the patient for some other reason.
Stage II: transient cerebral ischemia (TCI) - the patient experiences headaches, nausea, vomiting, ear congestion, as well as disturbances in vision, sensitivity, speech, and minor paralysis. This can last from a few seconds to several hours.
Stage III: reversible ischemic neurological deficit - symptoms intensify, become clearer after 24-48 hours, persist for about 3 weeks, but some of them remain forever.
Stage IV: complete stroke - symptoms appear immediately acute and sudden. Paralysis or sensory impairment is often irreversible, but sometimes gradual and slow recovery or improvement is possible.

Taking aspirin in for preventive purposes not always advisable and even dangerous. If you feel that your life is in danger due to atherosclerosis and circulatory disorders, you should consult your doctor. Regular appointment Aspirin is life-threatening in some diseases.

Consequences

Disturbances in the functions of the central nervous system and their manifestations after a stroke depend on the location and size of lesions in the brain.

Internal carotid artery

When blood circulation in the internal carotid artery is impaired, pain occurs in one half of the head. The patient appears following symptoms: the corner of the mouth droops, paralysis of one arm or leg appears, vision in one eye is impaired. In addition, a speech disorder occurs: it becomes unclear, the patient has difficulty finding the right word, he confuses syllables, and his ability to write and count is impaired.

Middle cerebral artery

If there is a circulatory disorder in the middle cerebral artery, symptoms similar to those of a blood flow disorder in the internal carotid artery occur. The patient's speech is impaired; it is difficult for him to pronounce words. Meanwhile, eating is not accompanied by difficulties in moving the mouth and tongue. Paralysis of one half of the body develops, and the patient’s orientation is disturbed.

Anterior cerebral artery

Poor circulation in this artery is manifested by paralysis of the muscles of one leg or decreased sensitivity. The patient cannot control bowel movements and Bladder. In some cases, the condition is very serious: the patient does not respond to anything (neither questions nor painful stimuli). Mental disturbances and memory loss are usually observed.

Vertebral arteries

The vertebral arteries and the basilar artery (arteria basilaris) supply blood primarily to the brain stem and midbrain. The main symptoms of cerebrovascular accident in this area of the brain are sudden severe violations coordination of leg movements (ataxia), severe systemic dizziness and nausea, unclear speech, difficulty swallowing, paresthesia of the mouth and tongue, as well as visual and sensory disturbances in both arms and legs.

Small cerebral arteries

When blood circulation in these arteries is impaired, mental disorders progress. In addition, incomplete paralysis, urinary incontinence and speech disorders are observed.

Treatment

Treatment is aimed at restoring normal cerebral circulation and brain function. Main therapeutic measures: reducing blood pressure, normalizing cholesterol levels in the blood, treating heart disease. Prescribed drugs that prevent blood clotting, beta blockers and bloodletting, which is performed for some blood diseases. In addition, diuretics are prescribed - medications that reduce brain swelling. However, there is no consensus on the effectiveness of certain medications and bloodletting. The procedure helps only in some cases. If a stroke occurs as a result of a circulatory disorder, then urgent treatment is necessary to save the patient’s life and avoid residual effects. health care.

They often help healthy eating, quitting smoking and drinking alcohol, losing excess weight. By doing therapeutic exercises The patient requires active participation and strong will.

The first symptoms of cerebrovascular accident are problems with vision, speech, weakness of the arms or legs, numbness of the face or limbs, paralysis. If at least one of the listed symptoms occurs, you should consult a doctor.

To establish a diagnosis, the patient is hospitalized. First examined internal organs, then a clinical neurological examination is carried out - the doctor evaluates the patient’s reflexes, muscle condition, and motor ability. Additionally, it may be assigned ultrasonography blood vessel structures and CT scan.

25-30% of people who have had a stroke die in the first three weeks after the attack. In 50% of patients the condition improves. 25% of patients require professional care throughout their lives.

Preventive measures

Reduce the amount of salt you consume.
Move more.
Support normal weight bodies.
No smoking.
Treat diabetes.
Treat heart diseases.

Shoshina Vera Nikolaevna

Therapist, education: Northern Medical University. Work experience 10 years.

Articles written

The human brain consists of more than 26 billion nerve cells, which influence not only the intellect, but also the functioning of the entire body. Impaired cerebral circulation leads to, and therefore, failures in all systems. Even light form pathology is a serious risk of disability, and severe - death. Let's figure out why normal cerebral circulation is so important and what to do to stabilize it.

At every age, problems with blood supply to the brain carry their own dangers, but they are all equally serious, and if they are not treated, the consequences will become irreversible.

In children

In newborns, blood flow in the arteries should be 50% greater than in an adult. This is the minimum at which its development will be normal. If the total cerebral blood flow in a child reaches 9-10%, then this condition is critical. The baby will suffer from negative symptoms and seriously fall behind in mental development from their peers.

Important! The difficulty of treating cerebrovascular disorders in children is that side effects drugs have a serious effect on the fragile infant body. And the lack of treatment - high risk lethal outcome.

Poor hemodynamics and blood supply in children lead to:

poor concentration;
learning difficulties;
reduced level of intelligence;
swelling of brain tissue;
hydrocephalus;
epileptic seizures.

In adults

In addition to negative symptoms, adults with poor circulation also experience poorer mental performance and are at greater risk of disability or death. In a special group are people with osteochondrosis, which impairs the work vascular system supply to the brain due to slipped discs or herniations.

Trauma or surgery can cause or also a tumor in the neck, which can cause a lack of oxygen in the organ. Poor blood circulation in the brain is dangerous for people of all ages.

In the elderly

Vascular genesis of the brain is a common diagnosis for older people. This is the name for a complex of problems with blood vessels, the cause of which is impaired blood circulation. The risk group includes those older people who were previously diagnosed with problems with the blood, its circulation, or pathologies of the organs responsible for this process.

This also includes heart patients or patients with an inflammatory process in the blood vessels of the body. All this can lead to the inability to self-care or death if there is no treatment.

Why does it occur?

Most often, the cause of impaired blood flow in the brain is pathologies in the blood vessels, which invariably lead to oxygen starvation of the organ. The most common problems are:

thrombus formation;
pinching, narrowing or bending of a vessel;
embolism;
hypertension.

The latter most often leads to pressure surges in the vessels and provokes their rupture. No less dangerous for them is sclerosis, the plaques of which form blood clots over time, impairing their throughput. Even a small lesion can affect general blood flow and lead to a stroke - an acute disorder of cerebral circulation. Changes in vascular tone can also cause problems with blood flow.

Often the cause of impaired supply and outflow of blood from the brain is osteochondrosis. Head injury or constant feeling Fatigue is also a leading cause of circulatory problems.

Types of violations

Doctors divide problems with blood circulation in the brain into:

Acute, the development of which is rapid, so his life depends on the speed of providing assistance to the patient. It may be hemorrhagic or. In the first case, the cause of the pathology is a rupture of a blood vessel in the brain, and in the second, hypoxia due to blockage of the vessel. Sometimes an acute disorder occurs due to local damage, but vital areas of the brain are not affected. The duration of the symptoms of the pathology lasts no more than 24 hours.
Chronic, developing for quite a long time and over initial stage having mild symptoms. After some time, the pathology begins to rapidly progress, which leads to the severity of the clinical picture. They are often diagnosed mainly in older people, which makes therapy difficult due to a number of concomitant chronic diseases in them.

Symptoms of cerebrovascular accident

They can be divided into chronic, acute and in children. Development and clinical picture each state will be different.

Chronic slowly progressive disorders

At similar pathologies cerebrovascular accident (CNMC) symptoms increase gradually, divided into 3 main stages:

Minimum severity of fatigue, headaches, vertigo. Restless sleep, increased irritability and absent-mindedness, the first signs of memory deterioration.
Cognitive function decreases and symptoms become more pronounced. Remembering even simple things is even more difficult, everything is quickly forgotten, and irritability becomes stronger. The patient's limbs tremble, his gait is unsteady.
Disorders of the musculoskeletal system are more severe, speech is incomprehensible and unrelated.

Acute disorders

More than 65% of stroke victims did not feel any symptoms preceding it, only mild fatigue and general malaise. When this occurs, a person may experience a severe headache, limbs may become numb, and loss of consciousness may occur. A short rest brings everything back to normal, and the person feels good. He doesn’t even think that it was a transistor attack, a cerebral attack or.

The symptoms of a transistor attack pass quickly, but you need to know them:

slurred speech;
strongest;
vision problems;
lack of coordination.

It is more difficult to determine a lacunar stroke by eye, because its symptoms are not so pronounced, which makes it even more dangerous, because it can occur in any part of the brain. The patient has:

speech becomes slightly incoherent;
hands and chin tremble slightly;
involuntary movements may occur;
slight lack of coordination.

In children

Infants have no sucking reflex, the child sleeps poorly and cries for no reason. The muscles will be reduced or increased tone, possible strabismus, hydrocephalus and heartbeat problems. Older children are less active than their healthy peers; they have poorer development of the psyche, speech, and memory.

Diagnostics

All patients who are at risk due to existing diseases leading to problems with cerebral circulation must undergo an ultrasound scan of the vessels of the neck and brain. At the first suspicion of this pathology, this study will also be prescribed.

MRI results are more complete and allow you to identify even the smallest foci of emerging or existing problems that provoked oxygen starvation. Laboratory blood tests are prescribed according to indications and depending on concomitant diseases.

Treatment

It doesn’t matter what problem was diagnosed, vertebro-balisar, diffuse or microcircular, therapy will be prescribed according to the pathology. Chronic venous or vascular disorders from blood clots, high blood pressure and cholesterol. At acute attack Urgent medical assistance will be provided. If this:

stroke - stabilization respiratory function, blood movements, decreased blood pressure;
- elimination of swelling, measures to restore organ functions.

Additionally, they will remove the manifestations of negative symptoms, so in case of numbness, massage is prescribed, some folk remedies, diet and recovery stage to increase the elasticity of blood vessels.

Rehabilitation

It consists of 3 stages:

Reconvalescence, which is designed to restore both biological and mental problems in organism.
Readaptation is to allow a person to adapt to their usual way of life.
Resocialization - adaptation to society.

The first stage of rehabilitation is carried out in a clinic or under the supervision of qualified personnel at home. For the second and third, the patient must stay in special institutions, such as sanatoriums, dispensaries and dispensaries.

Complications

Problems with blood flow in the brain can result in:

thrombus formation, which will provoke;
rupture of the vessel, resulting in hemorrhage;
swelling of the organ.

Any of these options for the development of pathology, even with timely assistance, carries a high risk of disability and even death. The latter most often occurs with global lesions or lack of medical assistance during an attack.

Preventive actions

It is always easier to prevent any disease than to treat it. Therefore, to avoid problems with cerebral circulation, you need to adhere to the following medical recommendations:

Sedentary work and physical activity must be balanced, without distortions in any direction.
Maximum positive emotions, minimize stress and depressive symptoms. State increased nervousness negatively affects nervous system and brain function.
Have a clear sleep schedule so that the body receives good rest and was ready for the stress of the working day.
visit more often fresh air. It is better to walk in the park or forest. Walking perfectly strengthens the body, especially in fresh, clean air.
Make your diet complete and balanced, eat in small portions at a strictly allotted time. Don’t even overload the body healthy food. Take a few as a rule fasting days in Week. But not the tough and hungry ones, but give preference to baked apples, prunes, and cheese.
Follow water balance body and drink the daily amount of fluid allotted to it, which must be calculated using a special formula, focusing on your weight. But you don’t need to drink forcefully, drink everything in moderation and without forcing yourself. At the same time, give up tea and coffee, giving preference to pure mineral water, preferably without gases. The usual diet should be formed with a predominance of greens, cabbage, tomatoes, carrots, boiled lean meat and fish. Cook soups in water. Those with a sweet tooth should give preference to healthy treats from proper nutrition, and even they should be eaten no more than 100 grams per day.
Take place regularly medical examinations so that pathology can be detected at an early stage.

Cerebral circulation is the blood circulation that occurs in the vascular system of the brain and spinal cord. In a pathological process that causes cerebrovascular accidents, the main and cerebral arteries (aorta, brachiocephalic trunk, as well as common, internal and external carotid, vertebral, subclavian, spinal, basilar, radicular arteries and their branches), cerebral and jugular veins, and venous sinuses may be affected. The nature of the pathology of cerebral vessels can be different: thrombosis, embolism, kinks and looping, narrowing of the lumen, aneurysms of the vessels of the brain and spinal cord.

Morphological changes in the brain tissue of patients with cerebrovascular accidents, according to the severity and location, are determined in accordance with the underlying disease, the mechanisms of development of the circulatory disorder, the blood supply pool of the affected vessel, age, and individual characteristics of the patient.

Morphological signs of cerebrovascular accident divided into focal and diffuse. Focal signs include hemorrhagic stroke, cerebral infarction, intrathecal hemorrhage; to diffuse signs - multiple small focal changes brain substances that have different character And varying degrees prescription, small fresh and organizing foci of necrosis of brain tissue, minor hemorrhages, gliomesodermal scars, small cysts.

At the time of cerebrovascular accident, subjective sensations without objective ones may be clinically present. neurological symptoms, such as dizziness, headache, paresthesia, etc.; organic microsymptoms without clear symptoms of loss of central nervous system function; focal disorders of the higher functions of the cerebral cortex - agraphia, aphasia, alexia, etc., dysfunction of the sensory organs; focal symptoms: motor disorders - coordination disorders, paresis or paralysis, hyperkinesis, extrapyramidal disorders, sensitivity disorders, pain; changes in memory, intelligence, emotional-volitional sphere; psychopathological symptoms, epileptic seizures.

Disturbances of cerebral circulation by nature can be divided into initial manifestations of insufficiency of blood supply to the brain, acute disorders of cerebral circulation (stroke, transient disorders, intrathecal hemorrhages) and slowly progressive chronic disorders of cerebral and spinal circulation (dyscirculatory myelopathy and encephalopathy).

TO clinical symptoms initial manifestations insufficiency of blood supply to the brain refers to symptoms that appear after intense mental and physical work and after being in a stuffy room: dizziness, headache, decreased performance, noise in the head, sleep disturbance. As a rule, such patients do not have focal neurological symptoms or are represented by scattered microsymptoms. Diagnosis of the initial manifestations of insufficient blood supply to the brain consists of identifying objective signs of atherosclerosis, vasomotor dystonia, arterial hypertension and to the exception of another somatic pathology, as well as neurosis.

TO acute disorders cerebral circulation include strokes and circulatory disorders in the brain that are transient in nature.

Such transient disorders of cerebral circulation manifest themselves in the form of focal and/or cerebral symptoms that last less than a day. Most often, these symptoms are observed when hypertension, cerebral atherosclerosis, arterial hypertension. A distinction is made between hypertensive cerebral crises and transient ischemic attacks.

Transient ischemic attacks are characterized by the appearance of focal neurological symptoms against a background of mild symptoms (static disturbances, difficulty speaking, weakness and numbness of the limbs, diplopia, etc.)

Hypertensive cerebral crises, on the contrary, are characterized by a predominance of general cerebral symptoms over focal ones, such as dizziness, headache, nausea or vomiting. In some cases, these symptoms may be absent. A case of acute cerebrovascular accident with persistence of focal neurological symptoms for more than a day is considered a stroke.

Acute disorders of venous circulation in the brain also include venous hemorrhages, thrombosis of the venous sinuses and cerebral veins.
Chronic disorders of cerebral circulation (myelopathy and discirculatory encephalopathy) appear as a result of progressive insufficiency of blood supply, which is caused by various vascular diseases.

Discirculatory encephalopathy usually manifests itself with diffuse organic symptoms, combined with headaches, memory impairment, irritability, non-systemic dizziness, etc. There are three stages of discirculatory encephalopathy.

First stage in addition to mildly expressed scattered persistent organic symptoms (asymmetry of cranial innervation, slight oral reflexes, inaccurate coordination, etc.), it is characterized by the presence of a syndrome that is similar to the asthenic form of neurasthenia (absent-mindedness, fatigue, memory impairment, difficulty switching from one activity to another, non-systemic dizziness , dull headaches, poor sleep, depressed mood, irritability, tearfulness). At the same time, intelligence does not suffer.

Second stage characterized by progressive memory deterioration (including in the professional sphere), decreased performance, decreased intelligence, personality changes manifested in a narrowing of interests, apathy, the appearance of viscosity of thought, often verbosity, irritability, quarrelsomeness, etc.). Daytime sleepiness is typical bad sleep at night. More distinct are organic symptoms, such as mild dysarthria, changes in muscle tone, tremor, coordination and sensory disorders, bradykinesia, reflexes of oral automatism and other pathological reflexes.

The third stage of dyscirculatory encephalopathy is characterized by like weighting mental disorders(before dementia), and the development of neurological syndromes that are associated with damage predominantly to a specific area of the brain. This may be parkinsonism, pseudobulbar palsy, pyramidal insufficiency, cerebellar ataxia. The condition often deteriorates, occurring in the form of a stroke. At the same time, new focal symptoms appear and the previously existing signs of cerebrovascular insufficiency intensify.

Discirculatory myelopathy is also characterized by a progressive course, in which three stages are conventionally distinguished.

The first (compensated) stage is manifested by moderately severe fatigue of the muscles of the limbs, and in more rare cases, weakness of the limbs. Further, in the second (subcompensated) stage, weakness in the limbs progressively increases, sensory impairment of the segmental and conduction type and changes in the reflex sphere appear. In the third stage of discirculatory myelopathy, paresis or paralysis, severe sensory disturbances, and pelvic disorders develop.

Focal syndromes in nature depend on the localization of pathological foci along the diameter and length of the spinal cord. To possible clinical syndromes include poliomyelitis, pyramidal, syringomyelic, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, posterior columnar, transverse spinal cord lesions.
Chronic disorders of venous circulation include venous congestion, which causes venous encephalopathy and venous myelopathy. Venous stagnation occurs due to compression of extracranial veins in the neck, cardiac or pulmonary-heart failure, etc. There may be long-term compensation for the difficulty of venous outflow of blood from the cranial cavity and spinal canal; with decompensation, headaches may appear, seizures, cerebellar symptoms, dysfunction cranial nerves. Venous encephalopathy is characterized by a variety of clinical manifestations. Hypertensive (pseudotumor) syndrome may be present, asthenic syndrome, syndrome of diffuse small-focal brain lesions. Venous encephalopathy also includes bettolepsy (cough epilepsy), which develops in diseases that lead to venous stagnation in the brain. Venous myelopathy, being a particular variant of discirculatory myelopathy, is not clinically significantly different from the latter.

Causes of cerebrovascular accidents

The main cause of cerebral hemorrhage is high blood pressure. With a sharp rise in blood pressure, a vessel may rupture, causing blood to enter the brain, causing an intracerebral hematoma.

More rare cause hemorrhage is the rupture of an aneurysm. As a rule, related to a congenital pathology, an arterial aneurysm is a protrusion in the form of a sac on the wall of a vessel. The walls of such a protrusion, unlike the walls of a normal vessel, do not have a sufficiently powerful muscular and elastic frame. Therefore, sometimes a relatively small increase in pressure, which can be observed during physical activity, emotional stress quite healthy people, leads to rupture of the aneurysm wall.

Along with saccular aneurysms, other congenital anomalies of the vascular system may be present, which pose a risk of sudden hemorrhage. If the aneurysm is located in the walls of vessels that are on the surface of the brain, rupture of the aneurysm leads to the development of subarachnoid (subarachnoid) rather than intracerebral hemorrhage. Subarachnoid hemorrhage is located under arachnoid surrounding the brain. It does not directly lead to the development of focal neurological symptoms (speech disorders, paresis, etc.), but when it occurs, general cerebral symptoms are pronounced, such as a sharp (“dagger”) sudden headache, often accompanied by subsequent loss of consciousness.

There are four main vessels: right and left internal carotid arteries, which supply blood to most of the brain; right and left vertebral arteries, which merge into the main artery and supply blood to the brain stem, occipital lobes of the cerebral hemispheres and the cerebellum.
Can be various reasons blockage of the main and cerebral arteries. An inflammatory process on the heart valves, in which infiltrates or a parietal thrombus is formed in the heart, can lead to the fact that broken pieces of a thrombus or infiltrate can travel through the bloodstream to a brain vessel whose caliber is smaller than the size of the piece (embolus), as a result of which they clog vessel. Emboli can also be particles of a disintegrating atherosclerotic plaque located on the walls of the main artery of the head. This is an embolic mechanism for the development of cerebral infarction.

Another, thrombotic mechanism for the development of a heart attack is the gradual development of a thrombus (blood clot) in the place where the atherosclerotic plaque is located on the vessel wall. An atherosclerotic plaque fills the lumen of the vessel. This leads to slower blood flow and promotes the development of a blood clot. Thanks to the uneven surface of the plaque, the adhesion (aggregation) in this place of platelets with other blood elements improves, which is the main framework of the resulting thrombus. For a blood clot to form, it is usually not enough local factors. In addition, the development of thrombosis occurs as a result of a slowdown in blood flow (for this reason, thrombosis of cerebral vessels, unlike embolisms and hemorrhages, usually develop at night, during sleep), an increase in the aggregation properties of platelets and red blood cells, and an increase in blood clotting.

Everyone knows from experience what blood clotting is. If you accidentally cut your finger, blood will flow from it. But the bleeding will stop due to the fact that a blood clot(thrombus).

Blood clotting is a biological factor that contributes to human survival. However, both increased and decreased blood clotting is a threat to our health and even life.

With increased blood clotting, thrombosis may develop; with decreased blood clotting, bleeding may occur due to the slightest cuts or bruises. Hemophilia is a disease accompanied by reduced clotting blood and having a hereditary nature, was inherent in many members of the reigning families of Europe, including Tsarevich Alexei, the son of the last Russian emperor.

Disruption of normal blood flow can occur due to spasm (strong compression) of the vessel, which occurs due to a sharp contraction of the muscle layer of the vascular wall. In the development of cerebral circulatory disorders, great importance was attached to spasm several decades ago. Currently, cerebral vasospasm is mainly associated with cerebral infarction, which can develop several days after the occurrence of subarachnoid hemorrhage.

With frequent increases in blood pressure, changes in the walls may occur small vessels, which nourish the deep structures of the brain. The changes that occur lead to narrowing and often to the closure of these vessels. Sometimes a sharp rise in blood pressure (hypertensive crisis) develops into a small infarction in the circulatory system of the vessel (in scientific literature This phenomenon is called “lacunar” infarction).

In some cases, cerebral infarction develops without complete blockage of the vessel, called a hemodynamic stroke. One can imagine this process on clear example. You are watering your garden with a hose that is clogged with silt. But the power of the electric motor of the pump lowered into the pond is sufficient to obtain a normal stream of water and high-quality watering of your garden. However, if the hose is slightly bent or the motor performance deteriorates, the powerful stream is replaced by a thin stream, which is clearly not enough to water the soil well.

The same situation under certain conditions is observed with blood flow in the brain. In the presence of two factors: a sharp bend in the lumen of a main or cerebral vessel or its narrowing due to a filling atherosclerotic plaque, plus a decrease in blood pressure, which occurs due to a deterioration (often temporary) in the functioning of the heart.

The mechanism of transient cerebrovascular accidents (in other words, transient ischemic attacks) is in many ways similar to the mechanism of development of cerebral infarction. But with transient disturbances of cerebral circulation, compensatory mechanisms work quickly, and within a few minutes (hours) the developed symptoms disappear. However, one should not hope that compensation mechanisms will cope with the violation that has arisen with the same success. Therefore, understanding the causes of cerebrovascular accidents is so important. This allows us to develop methods to prevent repeated disasters.

Factors contributing to the formation of strokes

diabetes mellitus, smoking, use of contraceptives;
high blood pressure, ischemia of the heart muscle, pathology of blood parameters, a history of strokes;
disturbance of blood flow, microcirculation of peripheral arteries (increasing the risk of ischemic stroke by 2 times);
high weight in the presence of atherosclerosis;
lipid metabolism disorder;
alcohol abuse;
sedentary lifestyle;
stressful state.

Consequences of a stroke

One of the main dangers of a stroke is that as a result of this disease there is a high probability for the patient to become disabled. About 30% of people who have suffered a stroke cannot cope without the help of other people and their care within a year. Throughout the world, stroke has been assigned the status of a disease that most often leads to disability. Particularly sad is the fact that stroke is the second most common cause of dementia. Stroke also leads to deterioration of cognitive abilities (attention, memory), reduces performance, learning, and thinking abilities.

Considering the above, if you detect the first signs of cerebrovascular accident, you need to contact a neurologist.

Prevention of cerebral blood supply disorders

Measures to prevent violations cerebral blood supply quite simple. But that is precisely why they are most often neglected.

Below are the basic principles to follow.

Move more
No smoking
Don't use drugs
Control and maintain normal body weight
Reduce the amount of salt you consume
Monitor glucose levels, as well as triglycerides and lipoproteins in the blood
Treat existing diseases of cardio-vascular system

Cerebrovascular accident has characteristic symptoms. They depend on what systemic disease became the cause of the pathology. After all, it is precisely as a result of certain systemic diseases that the vessels and blood flow in them are damaged.

Cerebrovascular accident

Cerebral circulation occurs in the vascular system of the spinal cord and brain. Due to a number of factors, pathological processes can begin in the body that disrupt the blood circulation process.

This leads to dire consequences, including:

damage to the main and cerebral arteries: aorta, brachiocephalic trunk, carotid, vertebral, spinal and other arteries;
damage to the cerebral and jugular veins.

Cerebrovascular accident is a serious vascular pathology.

How significantly the brain tissue will change depends on the zone in which the lesion is located, the degree of its severity, the age of the patient, his individual characteristics and other factors.

Classification of circulatory disorders in the brain

Several classifications of this disorder have been accepted. So, according to the nature of the course, such violations are divided into:

Initial manifestations of circulatory disorders.
Acute disorders. They develop very quickly: in a matter of hours or even minutes. These include the following diseases:
stroke (hemorrhagic and ischemic);
disorders of a transient nature, that is, local (focal), which do not affect areas important for the preservation of life;
intrathecal hemorrhages: subarachnoid, epidural, subdural.
Chronic disorders. They manifest themselves in insufficiency of spinal and cerebral circulation. These disorders are characterized by slow development and chronic course, progress over the years. These include myelopathy and encephalopathy of the dyscirculatory type.

Depending on the type of disorder, it is accompanied by characteristic symptoms. In addition, the location of the lesion is also important. This is important when conducting diagnostics. So, the outbreak can be localized:

in the right or left hemisphere;
in the trunk;
in the ventricles of the brain.

The disorder can also be multifocal in nature.

Signs and symptoms of impaired blood supply to the brain

In medicine, it is customary to distinguish between 2 types of signs of insufficiency of blood supply to the brain:

Focal. These include hemorrhagic stroke, cerebral infarction, intrathecal hemorrhage.
Diffuse. These include small focal changes in the brain matter, which are multiple in nature, minor hemorrhages and cysts, and minor foci of necrosis of brain tissue.

Each of these diseases is accompanied characteristic symptoms. However, there are also common neurological symptoms:

headaches;
dizziness;
disorders of the cerebral cortex: problems with reading, writing, speech impairment;
paresis, paralysis;
"pins and needles" or tingling sensation;
decreased hearing and vision acuity;
decreased intelligence, absent-mindedness.

The most common focal symptoms are:

disorders of the musculoskeletal system: incoordination, paresis, paralysis, hyperkinesis;
decreased sensitivity (for example, of some part of the body);
pain syndrome;
disorders of the extrapyramidal type;
memory impairment: amnesia of retrograde or anterograde type;
disorders of the intellect and emotional-volitional sphere: changes in personality traits, aggression, inappropriate behavior, etc.;
seizures of the epileptic type.

In addition, there are a number of symptoms that are characteristic of circulatory failure caused by intense mental or physical activity or lack of oxygen in the room:

dizziness;
headache;
feeling of noise in the head;
sensation of ringing in the ears;
decreased performance;
sleep disorder

Such conditions are not accompanied by focal neurological symptoms; in rare cases, microsymptoms may be present.

Symptoms of acute disorders

These include strokes and transient disorders. The latter are accompanied by focal or general cerebral symptoms, sometimes both at the same time. They are usually present in atherosclerosis, hypertension, arterial hypertension.

Each disease is accompanied by its own symptoms.

Here are the most typical:

Stroke. Ischemic stroke always starts sharply. He is accompanied focal symptoms, which depend on which hemisphere of the brain was affected. It is worth noting that left hemisphere is responsible for the right side of the body and vice versa. Therefore, with this type of stroke, there is usually weakness on one side of the body, loss of sensitivity, and disturbances in thinking, speech, and memory may occur. Hemorrhagic stroke is much less common than the first and is usually fatal.

A transient ischemic attack is accompanied by mild focal neurological symptoms:

violation of statics;
speech disorders;
paresis;
confusion;
muscle weakness, numbness in the limbs;
diplopia, etc.

Hypertensive cerebral crisis is accompanied by cerebral symptoms:

headache;
dizziness;
vomit;
nausea.

Sometimes such symptoms of cerebrovascular accident may be absent. Symptoms in each individual case last for at least 24 hours.

Symptoms of chronic disorders

Chronic disorders of cerebral circulation include myelopathy and encephalopathy of the dyscirculatory type. These pathologies develop due to circulatory failure, progressing against the background of vascular diseases.

Encephalopathy is characterized by the following symptoms:

headache;
memory impairment;
dizziness, which is non-systemic in nature;
irritability, absent-mindedness, easy fatigue;
sleep disturbance;
diffuse symptoms of an organic nature: impaired oral reflexes, slight incoordination.

The disease goes through 3 stages of development, at each of which the symptoms become more and more pronounced, that is, the disease progresses. At the last stage, the patient develops dementia, parkinsonism, cerebellar ataxia, etc.

Myelopathy is also a progressive disease, which also goes through 3 stages of development. The manifestation of each stage is accompanied by characteristic signs.

Compensated stage: light muscular weakness, fatigue.
Subcompensated stage: progression muscle weakness, impaired sensitivity (segmental or conductive), impaired reflexes.
Last stage: paresis, paralysis, significant sensory impairment, pelvic disorders.

Such disorders usually develop in older people. The condition progresses over many years. Due to cerebrovascular accidents, symptoms in elderly patients manifest themselves in the form of memory impairment, weak mental abilities, and changes in character traits (for example, a person becomes aggressive or absent-minded).

Causes of impaired blood supply to the brain

There are many reasons why cerebral circulation may be impaired. Here are the main ones:

Hypertensive crisis. This is the main factor that negatively affects the blood supply to the brain. If the pressure rises sharply to high marks(a hypertensive crisis occurs), this can lead to rupture of the vessel. In turn, blood can enter medulla, resulting in the formation of an intracerebral hematoma.
Aneurysm. This congenital pathology, which is a formation on the wall of the vessel. This formation has the shape of a pouch, which lacks a muscular frame. Due to increased pressure, the aneurysm can rupture, which leads to poor circulation. Usually the cause of the rupture is exercise stress or stress. If the aneurysm is located on the wall of a cerebral vessel, this leads to subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Arterial blockage. For example, inflammation of the heart valves can cause blockage. In turn, this provokes the formation of a blood clot in the heart. The latter can come off at any moment, and the bloodstream can deliver it to cerebral vessel. The latter is always smaller than the thrombus, which is why blockage occurs.
Atherosclerosis. During the disease, plaques form, which can also act as emboli and clog blood vessels. This could become.
Blood clotting. Any deviation of this indicator from the norm is dangerous. Increased rate can lead to thrombosis, that is, the formation of blood clots. Reduced levels cause bleeding even with minor bruises. Low blood clotting is called hemophilia.
Vascular spasm. A sharp contraction of the muscle layer of the vessel wall can cause excessive compression, or spasm. This is how a cerebral infarction develops.
Changes in the walls of blood vessels. And again it is worth remembering blood pressure. If it often increases (we are not talking about a hypertensive crisis), then over time it affects the walls of small vessels that are responsible for feeding the deep structures of the brain. These changes are characterized by narrowing and even complete closure of small vessels, as a result of which the delivery of nutrients to the deeper structures of the brain is impaired or stopped.
Chronic fatigue. If the human body experiences excessive loads, this leads to brain fatigue. Moreover, this applies to both physical and mental stress. Over time, if a person does not change his lifestyle and does not provide the entire body and brain with proper rest, this leads to the brain depleting its resources. As a result, the blood supply to the brain may also be disrupted.
Problems with the cervical spine. IN in this case the most common cause is osteochondrosis. With this disease, the arteries that deliver to the brain are pinched nutrients. As a result, blood circulation and brain functionality are impaired.
Injuries. With a concussion, bruises, hemorrhages, etc., a disorder of the blood supply can also occur. This is explained by compression of the brain centers, which causes difficult blood supply. In turn, this can even be fatal.

It is often the latter factor that is the reason why so many people die after car accidents, falls from heights and other similar tragedies.

Secondary reasons

There are factors that increase a person's chances of developing blood flow problems. These include:

Bad habits. In particular, alcohol, drugs, nicotine.
Overweight. It is very important to determine the cause of excess weight.
Physical inactivity. If a person leads sedentary image life, this negatively affects blood vessels.
Age. The older a person is, the higher the risk of developing a pathological process. Nevertheless, such a pathology is far from uncommon among middle-aged people, which is explained increased load, stress, etc., with which the life of a modern person is full.
Chronic diseases. For example, diabetes mellitus, infectious diseases (both chronic and acute).
Genetics. Often the disorder is hereditary.

At the first signs of circulatory problems, you should contact a neurologist. Diagnosing such patients and making a final diagnosis is a difficult task for a doctor. The patient is prescribed comprehensive examination using special equipment, for example, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, etc. This is necessary for staging correct diagnosis and treatment prescriptions.