Consequences of basal ganglia infarction

Cerebral infarction is becoming more and more common in daily life, and there are many types of it. If cerebral infarction is not treated in time, it will affect the patient's quality of life to varying degrees. Although blood vessel blockage in the basal ganglia of the brain generally does not cause fatal harm to the patient, the chance of recurrence is still very high if attention is not paid to diet and exercise after treatment. Now, let us enter the world of basal ganglia infarction.

1. Concept

Basal ganglia infarction is relatively common in clinical practice. It is a type of lacunar infarction, referring to the infarction foci occurring in the basal ganglia region of the brain. On the basis of hypertension and arterial infarction, tiny arteries deep in the brain become occluded, causing ischemic softening of brain tissue. The lesion size is generally 2-20 mm, with 2-4 mm being the most common.

2. Symptoms

Clinically, most patients have no obvious symptoms. About 3/4 of the patients have no symptoms of focal nerve damage, or only have mild symptoms such as inattention, memory loss, mild headache, dizziness, vertigo, and slow reaction. In some patients, it may affect brain function, leading to progressive intellectual decline and finally cerebrovascular dementia.

3. Causes

It is mostly caused by hypertension, hyperlipidemia and arteriosclerosis.

IV. Hazards

The infarct area is small, and the site of infarction is not the motor or language center, so it will not cause motor and language disorders temporarily. However, this disease can cause intellectual decline and cerebrovascular dementia.

5. Diagnosis

The diagnosis of this disease is mainly based on CT or MRI examination.

6. Treatment

1. Being able to detect lacunar infarction early is a blessing in disguise for patients, because if discovered in time, it is still in time to intervene with drugs. As long as you persist in taking the drugs, you can completely prevent lacunar infarction from developing into severe cerebral infarction.

2. Basal ganglia lacunar infarction is a very common disease. If the condition is relatively mild, the recovery is generally better. In normal times, the three high factors should be controlled well, and appropriate drugs for promoting blood circulation, unblocking meridians and nourishing brain cells can be used as auxiliary treatment. And perform functional exercises on the affected limb. Eat a low-salt, low-fat diet on a regular basis to prevent and treat high-risk factors such as high blood pressure, high blood lipids, and high blood sugar.

3. Lacunar infarction in the basal ganglia is generally not fatal, but it is easy to relapse, so long-term use of antiplatelet drugs is required after recovery from the onset of the disease. Adherence to long-term medication can reduce the number of relapses and ensure quality of life and life expectancy.

VII. Precautions for prevention and treatment

In addition to medication, the prevention and treatment of lacunar infarction should also pay attention to:

1. Hypertensive patients should take long-term medication and measure their blood pressure regularly to keep their blood pressure within the normal range;

2. Diabetic patients should strictly control their diet, adhere to hypoglycemic treatment, and keep blood sugar within normal range.

3. Patients with hyperlipidemia should undergo lipid-lowering treatment.

5. Have regular heart examinations, pay special attention to changes in heart function and arrhythmias, improve blood supply to the heart, and prevent and treat coronary heart disease.

8. Why are middle-aged and elderly people more prone to cerebral infarction?

When people reach middle age, the structure and function of blood vessels (mainly arteries) gradually change. That is, multiple gray-yellow plaques appear on the arterial wall due to lipid deposition and necrosis, accompanied by fibrosis, which leads to thickening, hardening, and loss of elasticity of the arterial wall, eventually forming atherosclerosis.