EXCLUSIVE: Could Cilla Black's stroke have been caused by extreme heat?

Fans of Cilla Black are speculating the star had a stroke at the weekend

IT'S thought the Liverpudlian singer might have suffered a stroke - but was it because of the heat?

 

With the shock death of Cilla Black on everyone's minds, the topic of strokes has arisen. The television legend's post-mortem results were revealed as "inconclusive" last night after she died in Spain at the weekend, aged just 72.

But this afternoon the singer's sons - Robert, 45, Ben, 41, and Jack, 34 - confirmed their mum died of natural causes after losing her balance, falling and hitting her head, before suffering a stroke.

It's thought Cilla had been sunbathing on her private terrace. The question is, can extreme heat bring on a stroke? Thousands of people suffer from strokes a year, but could the impossibly high temperatures have brought about the condition? 

 

The star died at the weekend at her holiday home in Marbella

NewsNewsBlog.blogspot.com spoke to Sylvia Moss, a Neuro-physiotherapist at a Brain and Spinal Injury centre in Salford, about strokes and what causes them. 

Can stroke be brought on by extreme heat? I've not heard of anything untoward on that. Strokes tend to be caused by high blood pressure, excessive salt intake and they do say there's perhaps a relationship with stress. There's nothing about heat, I suppose the alternative with Cilla could be if she was dehydrated. 

The dehydration will change the electrolyte imbalance which affects the sodium potassium. But this could just be a red herring, really. I would say strokes are usually because of high blood pressure, could be because of a heart problem or it could be because of an increase in salt intake.

 

What is a stroke? A stroke is spontaneous. One minute you're fit and well, the next you've had a stroke. It could be that it's been a clot or a haemorrhage - a bleed - on the brain. If you're seen very, very quickly - within four hours - you will be scanned and that will identify if it's been a bleed or a clot. 

Who is more susceptible to a stroke? There are more high risk factors: obesity, is one. If you smoke a lot, if you drink. In Salford, for instance, there's a higher instance of smoke because of the lifestyle we lead.

Age? At one time strokes used to be classed as something for the elderly, but there's a lot more young people now. Whether it's because of the scans we have today that identify if you've had a stoke - we certainly get more females, especially if they're on the pill and smoke.

What's the likelihood of recovering from a stroke? It depends on the size of the stroke, really. Obviously, when you have a stroke you need to be medically treated and then rehabilitation. They do say the first six weeks is the fastest time for recovery, but it doesn't mean you can't recover gradually over the years to come. 

 

How can you detect a stroke? If you suddenly realise there is a facial weakness, if there is a speech problem. An arm weakness and time - it's face, arm, speech and time. If all of these things culminate, call 999 immediately. 

It's important rehab isn't just NHS rehab - it can continue after that. It means you can still improve a year or two down the line. It's important people realise you've not just got six weeks and that's it. It is a continuous process you can still improve. BASIC have a holistic approach, we have physical and cognitive rehabilitation. 

The Brain and Spinal Injury Centre (BASIC) is a registered charity that works with around 750 people a year recovering from brain injury and neurological conditions including strokes.

The charity has spent the last two years fundraising to achieve the £500,000 required to become the first in England to install a world-renowned virtual reality system to treat those recovering from acquired brain injury and strokes.

For more information please visit  www.basiccharity.org.uk/