Health encyclopaedia

Health encyclopaedia - Alphabetical Topic List

Stroke

Stroke is the result of damage to the brain, either from bleeding into it or from an acute lack of blood in some part of the brain, so that the function of that part is temporarily or permanently stopped.

A stroke is a sudden episode that interferes, temporarily or permanently, with the way the brain works.

Strokes vary greatly in severity from a short period of muscle weakness to a more severe problem that can lead to death.

Strokes are the third most common cause of death in developed countries. They occur mainly in older people but one type (subarachnoid haemorrhage) affects mainly younger people.. The annual incidence of stroke is about 1 person in 500.

There are two broad types of stroke:

• Cerebral haemorrhage: bleeding into or around the brain.
• Cerebral thrombosis: blockage of blood vessels in the brain, usually by a blood clot.

Cerebral haemorrhage is usually the more serious and is a common cause of sudden unexpected death. Strokes are often heralded by warnings in the form of transient ischaemic attacks (TIAs), which are also known as ‘mini-strokes’. These should never be ignored.

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