Long-Term Effects of Strokes

A stroke is defined as the interruption of blood flow to a part of the brain. This can occur when a blood vessel bursts in the brain, or when a blood clot blocks an artery. The results of a stroke depend on the area of the brain where the stroke occurred and how severe it was. The long-term effects can be anywhere from unnoticeable to life-changing or fatal.

Movement and Coordination

• After a stroke, more than 30 percent of people are unable to walk unassisted six months later due to problems with coordination, weakness or total paralysis. Muscle stiffness, known as spasticity, is also common and very debilitating in some sufferers. These conditions usually occur predominantly on one side of the body. If the stroke occurred in the left half of the brain, the right half of the body is affected. Sometimes people may develop problems eating if the muscles in the face and mouth are impaired and cause issues with chewing or swallowing. The muscles that control the bladder and bowels may also be affected, although in most people this effect will not be long-term. Lack of coordination can result in loss of coordination and dexterity and difficulty completing tasks that require good hand-eye coordination.

Emotions, Thought and Behavior

• Physical effects are not the only possible long-term results of a stroke. There are many behavioral effects that have been reported in survivors, such as not being able to recognize or understand things they did before. Long-term memory problems can cause damage to relationships when the sufferer forgets details about people close to him. While mood swings are normal immediately after the incident, the areas of the brain responsible for processing emotions may become damaged during a stroke and cause long-term impairment, causing feelings like severe anxiety, fear, anger or elation, sometimes at inappropriate times. These irrational changes in behavior are called emotional lability. Depression is a common effect that may result naturally as the sufferer copes with challenges that the stroke has caused. People experiencing depression that is severe or is accompanied by thoughts of suicide or violence should seek professional assistance immediately.

Sensory Issues

• Stroke survivors can sometimes have problems with their senses, including vision, balance, orientation and touch. This can be caused by damage to the sensory nerves and the issues can sometimes be improved through therapy. More difficult to treat is pain caused by permanent damage to the nervous system. Additionally, when a weak or paralyzed part of the body is neglected, the person may dissociate it from the rest of his body, especially if he is unable to feel it. This can put extra strain on the parts that the affected individual uses, which can cause long-term pain until the problem is addressed and corrected.

Communication and Speech

• When the brain has problems processing language and speech, the problem is known as aphasia. Twenty percent of stroke survivors will experience aphasia six months after the stroke. This condition often leads to the person having problems with her own speech, causing her to speak slowly or unintelligibly. Dysarthria occurs when problems with speaking are caused by the muscles in the face and/or mouth being damaged or paralyzed, making the patient slur or mispronounce words, or lose her ability to speak entirely. The ability to read or write may be affected if the muscles in the hands and arms are impaired.