A stroke affects the arteries that lead to the brain and those that are within the brain. Stroke could also be termed as a cardiovascular disease. A stroke occurs when the blood and oxygen flowing to the brain gets blocked or bursts. This is also referred to as ‘brain attack’ as it occurs suddenly and immediate treatment is necessary in order to prevent further damage to the brain. The seriousness of this disease is that two million brain cells start to die every minute. As such, it is important that the patient is given treatment immediately. The extent to which a person is affected by this deadly disease depends on the damage caused to the brain.
There are two types of stroke;
1. When the vessel clots (Ischemic Stroke)
2. When the vessel ruptures causing blood to leak into the brain (Hemorrhagic Stroke)
Ischemic Stroke occurs when there is a clot or a block in the vessel, and thereby preventing the blood to flow to the brain. Clotting of blood is beneficial in our daily lives, as this helps when there are cuts and wounds as blood flowing could be minimized and stopped. But clotting in the arteries or blood vessels in the case of stroke is detrimental as it prevents blood and oxygen flowing to the brain. This is known as Ischemia. There are two ways an Ischemic Stroke can occur. These are called Embolic Stroke and Thrombotic Stroke.
Embolic Stroke: A blood clot or a cholesterol plaque moving in the blood stream can get blocked in a vessel that is too small for the clot to travel, thereby blocks the blood flow to the brain and causes a stroke.
Thrombotic Stroke: In this type of stroke a blood clot could form in a blood vessel and prevent the flow of blood to a specific area in the brain. Such a clot is knows as a thrombus and usually affect people with high level of cholesterol. As small arteries or blood vessels brings blood to smaller areas in the brain, thrombotic strokes are generally known as minor strokes and also is known as lacunar stroke.
Hemorrhagic Stroke: In this type of stroke a blood vessel in the brain could rupture and as a result blood forming together or around healthy brain tissues. People who have high blood pressure are more likely to suffer with this type of stroke. A Hemorrhagic Stroke is divided to two, depending on the area of the brain where the rupture has taken place.
Intracerebral (bleeding in brain tissues).
Subarachnoid (bleeding between two membrains that cover the brain)
Intraventricular (bleeding inside the ventricles of the brain)
Subdural (bleeding outside the brain tissues near the skull)
The third leading cause of death in America is Stroke. The severity of the stroke is dependant on whether a small or large the area of the brain is affected. Thus it is important that immediate treatment be given to prevent disaster.
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