HEMIPLEGIA

HEMIPLEGIA - Hemiplegia is a condition that affects one side of the body. We talk about a right or left hemiplegia, depending on the side affected. It is caused by injury to parts of the brain that control movements of the limbs, trunk, face, etc. This may happen before, during or soon after birth, when it is known as congenital hemiplegia, or later in life as a result of injury or illness, in which case it is called acquired hemiplegia. Generally, injury to the left side of the brain will cause a right hemiplegia and injury to the right side a left hemiplegia. The causes of congenital hemiplegia are mostly unknown, and usually parents only become aware of their child’s hemiplegia during infancy or early childhood as the child’s difficulty with movement on one side gradually becomes obvious. There is a higher risk in very premature babies and with multiple pregnancies, and it is unclear whether a difficult birth may be an occasional factor.

Injury to the brain cells that control movements in one half of the body cause hemiplegia. Hence, symptoms largely depend upon the part of the brain affected. The same can be said about the severity of individual symptoms.

• Difficulty in walking.
• Problems in balance, losses balance when trying to walk
• Difficulty in swallowing
• Trouble with vision. Blurred vision or weakness of the eyes.
• Speech becomes difficult.
• Numbness, tingling or loss of sensations on one half of the body.
• 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.

'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. Stroke: is the commonest cause of hemiplegia. Insufficient blood supply to the brain leads to loss of brain functions. A clot formed within the blood vessel blocking the blood supply'. A thrombus breaks away from its site of origin and forms a block elsewhere in the circulation. A bleed from a blood vessel supplying the brain.