According to the CDC stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. About 800,000 people in the US have a stroke each year.
What Is A Stroke?
Stroke occurs when a blood clot blocks an artery or a blood vessel breaks, this interrupts blood flow to a specific area of the brain.
When any of these situations happen the brain cells begin to die and brain damage occurs. During a stroke the abilities controlled by that area of the brain are lost which includes:
- Speech
- Movement
- Memory
Depending on where the stroke occurred in the brain determines how much the brain is damaged and how the patient is affected.
Someone who has had a small stroke may only experience minor issues such as weakness of an arm or leg. Someone who has a larger stroke may lose the ability to speak.
Different Types Of Strokes
There are different kinds of strokes however, the more common form of stroke is called Ischemic stroke, which accounts for 87 percent of all stroke cases. Ischemic strokes can occur in two ways: embolic and thrombotic strokes.
An embolic stroke occurs when a blood clot forms somewhere in the body and travels through the blood stream to the brain.
Once the clot reaches the brain it eventually travels to a blood vessel small enough to block its passage. As the clot lodges the blood vessel is blocked and causes a stroke.
The second type of blood clot stroke is called Thrombotic. With this type of stroke the blood flow is impaired due to blockage to one or more of the arteries supplying blood to the brain.
It is called a thrombotic stroke because the medical word for a clot that forms on a blood vessel deposit is called Thrombus.
Stroke Symptoms
Stroke symptoms may include:
- Sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg especially on one side of the body
- Confusion, trouble speaking, or understanding
- Trouble seeing in one or both eyes
- Difficulty walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
- Severe headache with no known cause
If you or anyone you know experience these symptoms please call or visit your local health care provider.
FOR MORE INFORMATION REGARDING TYPES OF STROKES, SYMPTOMS AND PREVETION PLEASE VISIT NIH.GOV