• Question: what is the treatment for cerebrovascular disease?

    Asked by claireachristie to Lyn, Katy, Paul, PB on 26 Jun 2013.
    • Photo: Peter Balfe

      Peter Balfe answered on 26 Jun 2013:

      Cerebro – of the brain
      vascular – of the blood vessels
      Diseases of the blood vessels in the brain roughly equates to encephalitis. Treatments involve reversing the inflammation and resealing the blood vessels, which in the brain should be tight (the jargon name is the Blood-Brain Barrier, something we’ve worked on). Steroids work, as do most other anti-inflammatories. The cause of the cerebrovascular problem also needs addressing. For example if the problem is meningitis, once identified the causative bacteria can be treated with antibiotics…

    • Photo: Paul Waines

      Paul Waines answered on 26 Jun 2013:

      Hi claireachristie- wow, what a question!

      There are a few approaches to treatment of cerebrovascular disease- also known as a stroke- various types of surgery can be used to prevent bleeding on the brain.

      There are also blood tests for testing the likelihood of getting a stroke, and the doctor might recommend things like regular exercise , controlling weight, stopping smoking etc to reduce the chances of having one

      Hope this helps!

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