What is a stroke?
A stroke is sometimes called a “brain attack.” A stroke can injure the brain like a heart attack can injure the heart. A stroke occurs when part of the brain doesn’t get the blood it needs. There are two types of stroke: • Ischemic stroke (most common type) — This type of stroke happens when blood is blocked from getting to the brain. This often happens because the artery is clogged with fatty deposits (atherosclerosis) or a blood clot. • Hemorrhagic stroke — This type of stroke happens when a blood vessel in the brain bursts, and blood bleeds into the brain. This type of stroke can be caused by an aneurysm — a thin or weak spot in an artery that balloons out and can burst. Both types of stroke can cause brain cells to die. This may cause a person to lose control of their speech, movement, and memory. If you think you are having a stroke, call 911.
A Stroke is an acute medical emergency. Stroke (also called “Brain Attack”) is a disease of the circulatory system caused by the rupturing or the blockage of an artery. In middle aged and older women, approximately 70% of strokes are thromboembolic (caused by a blockage from a blood clot), 15% consist of intracerebral hemorrhage, and 10% of subarachnoid hemorrhage. Depending on where the rupture or blocked artery leads, this part of the brain does not get oxygen. This can result in permanent brain damage, disability and sometimes death. When a section of the brain is deprived of oxygen, neurological symptoms result, such as loss of vision in one eye (or other vision changes), confusion, vertigo, inability to speak, numbness or weakness of one side of the body, severe headache and asymmetrical drooping of the face. These symptoms require immediate attention by emergency room doctors. Hospitals vary as to the care given to persons with stroke.
A stroke is a term used to describe permanent injury to the brain after a vascular (blood vessel) event. Most commonly arteries in the neck or brain narrow and eventually clot off due to atherosclerosis (hardening and thickening of arteries). Less commonly aneurysms (dilated blood vessels) or bleeding into the brain can cause a stroke.
Line General A stroke or “brain attack” occurs when a blood clot blocks an artery (a blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the body) or a blood vessel (a tube through which the blood moves through the body) breaks, interrupting blood flow to an area of the brain. When either of these things happen, brain cells begin to die and brain damage occurs. When brain cells die during a stroke, abilities controlled by that area of the brain are lost. These abilities include speech, movement and memory. How a stroke patient is affected depends on where the stroke occurs in the brain and how much the brain is damaged. For example, someone who has a small stroke may experience only minor problems such as weakness of an arm or leg. People who have larger strokes may be paralyzed on one side or lose their ability to speak. Some people recover completely from strokes, but more than 2/3 of survivors will have some type of disability. Stroke 101 Line General Download National Stroke Associat
