Informative Speech On Hemiplegia

Introduction: I am going to discuss hemiplegia. The word 'plegia' means weakness so severe that it is nearly complete. 'Hemi' implies one side of the body. Hence, 'hemiplegia' means complete paralysis of one half of the body, including one arm and leg. Any disease or injury in the motor centers of the brain can cause hemiplegia.
Hemiplegia is a more severe form of 'hemiparesis' wherein one half of the body is only weakened. It is also very different from the conditions of paraplegia & quadriplegia, which are commonly confused with hemiplegia. Paraplegia is paralysis in both legs, below the waist. Quadriplegia is paralysis below the neck and is also usually the result of a spinal cord injury.
Symptoms: The symptoms of this disease largely depend
• Loss of control over bladder and bowel movements leading to an inability to hold on to stool or urine.
• Unable to perform tasks like holding objects, tying laces, dressing oneself, buttoning etc.
• Feeling depressed
• Heightened emotional sensitivity with inability to handle stressful situations.
• Memory seems poor. Unable to recall recent or past events concerning people, places and activities.
Diagnosis: The diagnostic tests for this disease have a few procedures that need to be done to find the cause of hemiplegia. Some required tests are:
• Complete blood count.
• Blood biochemistry test.
• Cranial CT -> a highly detailed, non-invasive, imaging procedure that combines x-rays with computer technology and allows the study of the brain from many angles.
• Cranial MRI -> a non-invasive, highly sensitive procedure that uses electromagnetic properties of tissues providing detailed studies of their structures.
• An EEG (electroencephalogram) -> can measure the nerve activity within the brain.
Causes: The causes for this disease are generally, an injury to the right side of the brain will cause a left-sided hemiplegia while an injury to the left side of the brain will cause a right-sided
-> an emboli o A bleed from a blood vessel supplying the brain -> a hemorrhage
• Head injury
• Diabetes
• Brain tumor
• Infections -> meningitis, encephalitis
• Migraine syndrome -> recurrent headaches of severe intensity occasionally accompanied by sensations of numbness and tingling in one half of the body.
• Inflammation of the blood vessels -> vasculitis
• Diseases affecting the nerves -> like Multiple Sclerosis; acute necrotizing myelitis.
• Conditions presenting from birth -> cerebral palsy. Lack of blood supply damages nerve cells in the brain. Birth trauma, difficult labor, perinatal strokes in infants within 3 days of birth can all cause cerebral palsy.
• Hereditary diseases -> leukodystrophies. This is a rare disorder affecting the myelin sheath which covers and protects nerve cells in the brain. The condition usually appears in infancy or childhood.
Treatments: Hemiplegia usually takes a while to recover. There are two facets in treating the condition.
• Check further progress of underlying condition
• Rehabilitation and control of disability.
Preventions: This disease can be prevented