Overview

A stroke occurs when the blood supply to a part of your brain is interrupted or reduced, preventing brain tissue from getting oxygen and nutrients. Brain cells begin to die in minutes.

A stroke may be a medical emergency, and prompt treatment is crucial. Early action can reduce brain damage and other complications.

Symptoms

If you or someone you're with could also be having a stroke, pay particular attention to the time the symptoms began. Some treatment options are best when given soon after a stroke begins.

Signs and symptoms of stroke include:

Ø    Trouble speaking and understanding what others are saying. You may experience confusion, slur your words or have difficulty understanding speech.

Ø    Paralysis or numbness of the face, arm or leg. You may develop sudden numbness, weakness or paralysis in your face, arm or leg. This often affects just one side of your body. Try to raise both your arms over your head at an equivalent time. If one arm begins to fall, you'll be having a stroke. Also, one side of your mouth may droop once you attempt to smile.

Ø    Problems seeing in one or both eyes. You may suddenly have blurred or blackened vision in one or both eye.

Ø    Trouble walking. You may stumble or lose your balance. You may also have sudden dizziness or a loss of coordination.

When to see a doctor

Seek immediate medical attention if you notice any signs or symptoms of a stroke, even if they seem to come and go or they disappear completely. Think "FAST" and do the following:

Ø  Face. Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?

Ø  Arms. Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward? Or is one arm unable to rise?

Ø  Speech. Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Is his or her speech slurred or strange?

Causes

There are two main causes of stroke: a blocked artery (ischemic stroke) or leaking or bursting of a blood vessel (hemorrhagic stroke). Some people may have only a temporary disruption of blood flow to the brain, known as a transient ischemic attack (TIA), that doesn't cause lasting symptoms.

Ischemic stroke

This is the most common type of stroke. It happens when the brain's blood vessels become narrowed or blocked, causing severely reduced blood flow (ischemia). Blocked or narrowed blood vessels are caused by fatty deposits that build up in blood vessels or by blood clots or other debris that travel through your bloodstream and lodge in the blood vessels in your brain.

Hemorrhagic stroke

Ø    Uncontrolled high blood pressure

Ø    Overtreatment with blood thinners (anticoagulants)

Ø    Bulges at weak spots in your blood vessel walls (aneurysms)

Ø    Trauma (such as a car accident)

Ø    Protein deposits in blood vessel walls that lead to weakness in the vessel wall (cerebral amyloid angiopathy)

Ø    Ischemic stroke leading to hemorrhage

Risk factors

Many factors can increase your stroke risk. Potentially treatable stroke risk factors include:

Lifestyle risk factors

Ø  Being overweight or obese

Ø  Physical inactivity

Ø  Heavy or binge drinking

Ø  Use of illegal drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine

Medical risk factors

Ø    High blood pressure

Ø    Cigarette smoking or secondhand smoke exposure

Ø    High cholesterol

Ø    Diabetes

Ø    Obstructive sleep apnea

Ø    Cardiovascular disease, including heart failure, heart defects, heart infection or abnormal heart rhythm, such as atrial fibrillation

Ø    Personal or family history of stroke, heart attack or transient ischemic attack

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