This type of stroke is very serious.
Pope Francis died in his apartment in Sainte-Marthe house this Monday, April 21, at 7:35 am, Easter Monday day. The sovereign pontiff would have died of a hemorrhagic stroke (stroke) after “a coma and an irreversible cardiocirculatory failure“Certified Professor Andrea Arcangeli, Director of the Directorate of Health and Hygiene of the State of the City of the Vatican in the death report published by the Holy See press room. The medical document also specifies that the 88-year-old Pope suffered from an previous episode of acute respiratory insufficiency in the context of bilateral multi-microbial pneumonia, multiple, high blood pressure and type II diabetes.
There are two types of stroke: ischemic stroke which represents around 80% of cases, and hemorrhagic stroke, which constitutes the remaining 20%. The first is caused by a blockage of an artery (blood clot, cholesterol plate) which prevents blood from reaching a part of the brain. The second, on the other hand, occurs when one of the blood vessels of the brain breaks, causing hemorrhage (bleeding) in the brain. This can cause damage to brain cells and disrupt the normal functioning of the brain. The main risk factors for a hemorrhagic stroke are age (the risk of stroke increases after 50 years in humans and 60 years in women), high blood pressure, alcohol or tobacco consumption, poorly controlled diabetes, high cholesterol or heart rate disorders.
“The clinical signs of a brain hemorrhage are generally a neurological deficit worsening in a few minutes or a few hours, with very many variants according to the exact location and the extent of the hemorrhage; convulsions are possible; an intracranial hypertension also“Explained Dr. Bruno Toussaint, doctor and director of the Revue Prescrire. A numbness of the face (for example a drooping lip on one side), an impossibility to raise an arm, a sudden loss of balance, an intense headache or the brutal loss of vision must lead to call immediately on the 15th.
Hemorrhagic stroke is rarer but generally more serious than ischemic stroke. “After 1 year, there are only 50% of survivors and half of them have a significant handicap. Only a quarter is doing well and can keep its independence”note the neurologists of Inserm. The management of immediate consequences, for example in resuscitation in the event of a coma and the cause (high blood pressure, excess anticoagulant …) is essential.
