What is Stroke

What is Stroke?

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Stroke is the #4 cause of Death, and the leading cause of adult disability in the United States.

Stroke is a disease that affects the arteries leading to and within the brain. It is the No. 4 cause of death in the United States, behind diseases of the heart, cancer and lower respiratory disease.

A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood (and oxygen) it needs, so it starts to die.

What are the types of stroke?

Stroke can be caused either by a clot obstructing the flow of blood to the brain called an ischemic stroke or by a blood vessel rupturing and preventing blood flow to the brain called a hemorrhagic stroke.

What are the effects of stroke?

The brain is an extremely complex organ that controls various body functions. If a stroke occurs and blood flow can't reach the region that controls a particular body function, that part of the body won't work as it should.

When someone has shown symptoms of a stroke or a TIA (transient ischemic attack), a doctor will gather information and make a diagnosis and begin a course of treatment depending on the cause of the stroke.

If the stroke occurs toward the back of the brain, for instance, it's likely that some disability involving vision will result. The effects of a stroke depend primarily on the location of the obstruction and the extent of brain tissue affected.

Right Brain

The effects of a stroke depend on several factors, including the location of the obstruction and how much brain tissue is affected. However, because one side of the brain controls the opposite side of the body, a stroke affecting one side will result in neurological complications on the side of the body it affects. For example, if the stroke occurs in the brain's right side, the left side of the body (and the right side of the face) will be affected, which could produce any or all of the following:

Paralysis on the left side of the body
Vision problems
Quick, inquisitive behavioral style
Memory loss

Left Brain

If the stroke occurs in the left side of the brain, the right side of the body will be affected, producing some or all of the following:

Paralysis on the right side of the body
Speech/language problems
Slow, cautious behavioral style
Memory loss

Brain Stem

When a stroke occurs in the brain stem, depending on the severity of the injury, it can affect both sides of the body and may leave someone in a ‘locked-in’ state. When a locked-in state occurs, the patient is generally unable to speak or achieve any movement below the neck.