Sign-in to Ask A Doctor - 24x7
OR
Sign in with GoogleGet your health question answered instantly from our pool of 18000+ doctors from over 80 specialties
What Is The Prognosis Of A Paralytic Attack?
My mother has undergone a sudden paralytic attack (which numbed her left side of body) and the doctors say its due to clotting of blood in brain (which was caused as a result of excess blood pressure). She is out of danger for now and recovering slowly. Will she be alright (I mean 100% healthy) and how much time will it take for her to be healthy and is there any chance of happening this again?
Thu, 1 Oct 2020
Hello,
A "paralytic attack" is another name for a stroke or as it is called in medicine a Cerebrovascular Accident. These can occur due to elevated blood pressure, a blood clot forming in the small blood vessels which supply the brain, or a combination of both.
It is difficult to give a prognosis at this point but what I can say is the prognosis is going to be based on the following:
1. How much of her mobility and ability to ambulate she regains.
2. Whether the stroke impacted her ability to swallow.
3. Whether the stroke impacted the functioning of her accessory breathing muscles.
These are really the key questions here. For her to make a complete recovery she does need to have these functions return to her at a normal level. If her swallowing function is impaired it will predispose her to developing aspiration pneumonia, if her ambulation is impaired it will predispose her to becoming debilitated and even developing decubitus ulcerations.
The amount of time it may take is also unknown, the brain has to rewire itself to "relearn" some of these functions which can take weeks to months if it is even possible. So estimating what level of residual problems she will have is difficult to say. The chance of it happening again is going to be increased to be honest with you. This depends on the specific cause of the event, and in this case it seems like there were several reasons for your mothers stroke but she is at an increased likelihood of this happening again.
Please follow your doctors' recommendations and make sure she takes the medications she is ordered. The medications she will be prescribed if not already will decrease the chance of recurrence but it is still a possibility. Certainly, I have seen patients with similar events both completely recover all their functioning and others not regain much at all. It truly is a watch and wait scenario.
Take care. Hope I have answered your question. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. David Girardi, Internal Medicine Specialist
A "paralytic attack" is another name for a stroke or as it is called in medicine a Cerebrovascular Accident. These can occur due to elevated blood pressure, a blood clot forming in the small blood vessels which supply the brain, or a combination of both.
It is difficult to give a prognosis at this point but what I can say is the prognosis is going to be based on the following:
1. How much of her mobility and ability to ambulate she regains.
2. Whether the stroke impacted her ability to swallow.
3. Whether the stroke impacted the functioning of her accessory breathing muscles.
These are really the key questions here. For her to make a complete recovery she does need to have these functions return to her at a normal level. If her swallowing function is impaired it will predispose her to developing aspiration pneumonia, if her ambulation is impaired it will predispose her to becoming debilitated and even developing decubitus ulcerations.
The amount of time it may take is also unknown, the brain has to rewire itself to "relearn" some of these functions which can take weeks to months if it is even possible. So estimating what level of residual problems she will have is difficult to say. The chance of it happening again is going to be increased to be honest with you. This depends on the specific cause of the event, and in this case it seems like there were several reasons for your mothers stroke but she is at an increased likelihood of this happening again.
Please follow your doctors' recommendations and make sure she takes the medications she is ordered. The medications she will be prescribed if not already will decrease the chance of recurrence but it is still a possibility. Certainly, I have seen patients with similar events both completely recover all their functioning and others not regain much at all. It truly is a watch and wait scenario.
Take care. Hope I have answered your question. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. David Girardi, Internal Medicine Specialist
I find this answer helpful
Disclaimer: These answers are for your information only and not intended to replace your relationship with your treating physician.
This is a short, free answer.
For a more detailed, immediate answer, try our premium service
[Sample answer]
Related questions you may be interested in
Loading Online Doctors....