Stroke/Cerebrovascular Accident

A stroke is a medical emergency. Strokes happen when blood flow to your brain stops.
Within minutes, brain cells begin to die. There are two kinds of stroke. The more common
kind, called ischemic stroke, is caused by a blood clot that blocks or plugs a blood vessel in
the brain. The other kind, called hemorrhagic stroke, is caused by a blood vessel that breaks
and bleeds into the brain. "Mini-strokes" or transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), occur when
the blood supply to the brain is briefly interrupted.

Symptoms of stroke are

 Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg (especially on one side of the
body)
 Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding speech
 Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
 Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
 Sudden severe headache with no known cause

If you have any of these symptoms, you must get to a hospital quickly to begin treatment.
Acute stroke therapies try to stop a stroke while it is happening by quickly dissolving the
blood clot or by stopping the bleeding. Post-stroke rehabilitation helps individuals overcome
disabilities that result from stroke damage. Drug therapy with blood thinners is the most
common treatment for stroke.

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Stroke Facts

 Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States. Around 137,000
Americans die of stroke every year.1

 A stroke, sometimes called a brain attack, occurs when a clot blocks the blood supply
to the brain or when a blood vessel in the brain bursts.

 Someone in the United States has a stroke every 40 seconds. Every three to four
minutes, someone dies of stroke.2

 Stroke is a leading cause of death for both men and women. In 2006, 6 out of every
10 deaths due to stroke were in women.1

 Every year, about 795,000 people in the United States have a stroke. About 610,000
of these are first or new strokes. About 185,000 people who survive a stroke
eventually have another.2

 Stroke is an important cause of disability. In 2005, nearly 1.1 million stroke survivors
reported difficulty performing basic activities of daily life.3
  In 2009, stroke will cost the United States $68.9 billion.2 This total includes the cost
of health care services, medications, and lost productivity.

 Common stroke warning signs and symptoms include—

o Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg—especially on one

side of the body.
o Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding.
o Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
o Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.
o Sudden severe headache with no known cause.

 You can’t control some stroke risk factors, such as heredity, age, gender, and
ethnicity. Some medical conditions, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol,
heart disease, diabetes, overweight or obesity, and previous stroke or transient
ischemic attack (TIA), can raise also your stroke risk. Not smoking, not drinking
excessively, and getting exercise are all choices you can make to reduce your risk.

References

1. Heron MP, Hoyert DL, Murphy SL, Xu JQ, Kochanek KD, Tejada-Vera B. Deaths: Final data for 2006.
[PDF-323K] National Vital Statistics Reports; 57(14). Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health
Statistics. 2009.
2. Lloyd-Jones D, Adams R, Carnethon M, et al. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics––2009 Update. A
Report From the American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics
Subcommittee.* Circulation. 2009;119:e21–e181.
3. CDC. Prevalence and most common causes of disability among adults—United States, 2005. MMWR
2009;58(16):421–426.
A stroke involves loss of brain functions caused by a loss of blood circulation to areas of the
brain. The blockage usually occurs when a clot or piece of atherosclerotic plaque breaks
away from another area of the body and lodges within the vasculature of the brain.
When a patient suffers a stroke, she or he suddenly loses some crucial function of the brain
because of blockage or rupture of a blood vessel within the brain. Although strokes can
range in severity from mild with full recovery to massive and fatal, they are so frequent that
they are the second most common cause of death and among the leading causes of
permanent disability worldwide.

Although scientists have identified several important risk factors for many forms of stroke,
including hypertension, cigarette smoking, diabetes, high cholesterol, atrial fibrillation, to
name a few, our understanding of why strokes occur remains limited. This limited
understanding prevents doctors from predicting more accurately who is at highest risk for
developing a stroke in the future, and from developing more effective treatments to
prevent stroke from ever occurring at all.
 Types of Strokes
• Ischemic stroke
When the blood flow to brain
is blocked.
• Hemorrhagic stroke
When there is bleeding into or around
the brain.

Stroke is an acute and serious

condition
Immediate Treatment:
• Emergency room treatment
• Medications
• Neuroendovascular intervention
• Surgery

Long-Term Treatment
Treatment for depression:
• Physical therapy
• Speech therapy
• Control of incontinence
• Provide a safe environment
• Alterative forms of communication
• In-home care, adult day care or
convalescent home
• Family counseling
• Legal advice such as power of
attorney

Prognosis
• Stroke is the third leading cause of
death in developed countries
• About one-fourth of patients die as a
result of stroke or its complications
• About one-half have long-term
disabilities
• About one-fourth recover most or all
functions