Yes, heart disease is one of the prominent causes of getting a stroke. Approximately 10 % of stroke cases are caused by cardiac problems.
- The heart is the organ that pumps and provides oxygenated blood to the rest of the body, including the brain. As the heart pumps the blood, the blood clots may also get pumped to the brain and these blood clots can block the blood vessels in the brain. This can lead to deprivation of oxygen to areas of the brain leading to stroke.
- Various heart disorders like valvular and non-valvular atrial fibrillation which can disturb the regular rhythm of heartbeats can lead to a tendency for clot formation in the blood. These clots can flow to the rest of the organs including the brain.
- Sometimes a person’s heart valve may have been replaced with a prosthetic valve. Such a replaced valve can be a source of clots and lead to stroke.
- Heart attack and other heart damage might lead to reduced pumping capacity of the heart. This can lead to blood stagnation and lead to clot formation in turn.
- Apart from these, there might be various other heart conditions that either change the cardiac rhythm or reduce the pumping capacity of the heart and lead to stroke.
For any patient suffering from a stroke, the Neurologist conducts various tests to find out what is the reason for getting a stroke. This workup also includes testing for the structure of the heart as well as the rhythm of cardiac contraction. Various tests like electrocardiogram, echocardiography, and Holter monitoring can help the doctor to conclude if the heart is the source of clot formation that might be leading to stroke.
Once the Neurologist concludes that the stroke is due to a cardiac problem, the next step is to start appropriate treatment that will reduce the possibility of developing new clots in the blood that might lead to another stroke.
The treatment mainly includes starting medicines called anticoagulants that make the blood thinner and prevent clot formation. The treatment may include procedures that can regularize heart rhythm so that the tendency for clot formation is diminished.
Some blood thinning medicines might need testing of blood for the extent of blood thinning, on a regular basis. As per the test result, the doctor might adjust the dose of the medicines. Excessive thinning of the blood might lead to various problems in the body related to bleeding and the patient needs to be vigilant about it and report immediately to the treating doctor. There are newer sets of medicines that might not need this testing and are supposed to be safer ones.
Neurology Clinic in Dr. Rami Hamed Center, Dubai is located near Dubai Healthcare City. For Appointments, Call +97142798200
