STROKE, A FOREMOST CAUSE FOR DISABILITY AND FUNCTIONAL IMPAIRMENT

Stroke is a devastating and life altering incident which influence not just the individual with stroke, but also family members and caretakers. Stroke is a worldwide medical issue and is the 2nd familiar reason for demise and 4th important reason for handicap around the world. Roughly 20 million individuals get stroke every year and out of this, 5 million won't stay alive. In advanced nations, the most important reason for disability is stroke, second foremost reason for dementia and third important reason for death. Most commonly seen life threatening adverse events associated with stroke are Infections such as pneumonia and urinary tract infection; depression, fall and fracture. Immobility related complications are pressure ulcers, deep vein thrombosis, limb muscle contractures, shoulder pain, constipation and medical complications such as intracerebral bleed, another stroke and seizures. Advanced age and severity of stroke is the most common cause of greater length of stay in hospital following acute stroke. Further bed rest or immobility related adverse events may delay early discharge from the hospital. Research evidence says that very early, frequent and intensive mobilization activities including out of bed activities help in reducing the length of the hospital stay. In this paper, we will briefly review various aspects related to stroke. Key words: Stroke, cerebral injury, seizure