What Are the Symptoms and Early Warning Signs of a Cerebral Infarction?
Cerebral Infarction
Cerebral infarction refers to a type of disease characterized by local brain tissue necrosis due to ischemic factors, leading to corresponding neurological dysfunction. This disease is more common in middle-aged and elderly individuals, with a higher incidence rate among males than females.
Symptoms:
- Focal motor disorders: Patients may experience numbness, weakness, or paralysis in one side of the upper and lower limbs.
- Sensory abnormalities: Such as reduced or absent sensation on one side of the body.
- Speech impairment: Some patients may experience unclear speech or difficulty articulating words.
- Visual field changes: Including blurred vision or blindness in one eye.
- Changes in mental consciousness: Such as lethargy or coma.
- Other conditions: In severe cases, seizures and increased intracranial pressure may occur.
Precursors:
For patients with underlying conditions such as hypertension and diabetes, precursor symptoms often occur before the onset of the disease. Common precursors include:
- Transient limb numbness: Usually caused by vasospasm, lasting for a short period, typically not exceeding half an hour.
- Dizziness: Often accompanied by nausea and vomiting, with recurrent episodes.
- Decreased vision: May be caused by the blockage of the carotid artery by emboli resulting from the detachment of atherosclerotic plaques.
- Slurred speech: Generally due to damage to the language center caused by lesions in the cerebral hemisphere.
Treatment:
Once cerebral infarction is confirmed, thrombolytic therapy should be initiated promptly. Commonly used drugs include alteplase and urokinase. Concurrently, anticoagulants are administered to prevent recurrence, with rivaroxaban tablets and warfarin sodium tablets being commonly prescribed. If the optimal thrombolytic window has been missed, defibrinogenation therapy can be considered, with batroxobin injection as a common choice. Additionally, interventional surgery can be performed to improve the situation, promoting the establishment of collateral circulation and helping to alleviate clinical symptoms.
