Causes Of Strokes

Strokes are the 5th leading cause of death in the US, with one person dying every 4 minutes as a result. For African Americans, stoke is the 3rd leading cause of death.(http://www.cdc.gov/stroke/facts.htm) It is estimated that About 795,000 people have a stroke each year; about one every 40 seconds - there are many medical conditions that can cause a stroke and it is estimated that 8 out of 10 strokes can be prevented. However, there are some things that cannot be controlled when you are predisposed to

There are several different types of stroke and it does not affect everyone the same. According to Mayo

Lastly, Ischaemic stroke is fatal in one third of cases, making it the third most common cause of death in developed counties (Nedeltchev & Mattle 2014, pp. 124-129). Among the survivors of stroke, at least half are permanently disabled, making stroke a major cause of long-term physical, cognitive, emotional, and social disability (Redfern, Mckevitt & Wolfe 2006, pp. 123-141). However, there has been a reduction in stroke deaths over the last ten years due to an increase in public awareness through programs and education around reducing risk factors for stroke (AIHW 2013). These programs targeted specific causes, such as; smoking,

Stroke is like a heart attack, but instead the problem is with the brain not the heart. Stroke happens when the blood that is suppose to go to the brain is blocked or reduced. When the blood supply to the brain is blocked or reduced, the brain doesn’t get enough oxygen or nutrients, which causes brain cells to die. It can also be because of smoking. Smoking creates blood clots in the artery. Stroke is the top 5 disease that caused death in the US, but for black people stroke is the top 3 disease that caused death. Stroke commonly occurs to people over the age of 65. Even though the risk of having a stroke is high over the age of 65, stroke can occur at any age. Approximately 15 million people suffer from stroke each year. 5 million of these

Stroke is a part of a cardiovascular disease that occurs when the supply of blood or oxygen to the brain is disrupted by a blockage in the artery or when there is usually a trauma that causes spontaneous bleeding in the brain (Duncan, Zorowitz & Lambert, 2005).

An ischemic stroke is typically caused by a thrombosis, which is a blood clot or an embolism, when the blood clot detaches and infiltrates the blood stream.

Sometimes known as a brain attack, a stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain stops. Brain cells immediately start to die due to the lack of oxygen and nutrients they need to function. There are two types of strokes. The most common type, called ischemic stroke, is caused by a blood clot that blocks a blood vessel in the brain. The other kind of stroke, called hemorrhagic stroke, is caused by a blood vessel that breaks and bleeds into the brain. Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death for Americans ("What You Need to Know About Stroke," 2013). In fact, according to the CDC, more than 795,000 people in the United States have a stroke every year ("Stroke Facts," 2015). A stroke can cause great damage in the brain and lead to mild or severe

There are two major branches of strokes: those caused by narrowing or blockage of the arteries leading towards the brain, and those caused by blood vessel leaking or rupturing in the brain. Ischemic strokes account for approximately 87% of Stroke cases, which reduces the blood flow to the brain. About half of the Ischemic strokes are caused by clotting in small or large arteries, a smaller portion are caused by

Often times, doctors will typically call a stroke a “brain attack” because the events that transpire resemble those that occur during a heart attack (Wang and Aamodt, 2010). Blood supplies a constant source of oxygen to the brain. However, a stroke occurs when that blood supply to any given part of the brain is suddenly ceased. If the blood supply to the brain is suddenly interrupted this leads to the deprivation of oxygen and glucose to that area. The brain cells that are prevented from acquiring these substances, especially oxygen, will be quickly killed off. Strokes can be categorized into two classes: Ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes (Lindley, 2008).

Ischemic Stroke tends to occur when the artery responsible to supply oxygen rich blood to the brain becomes clotted or blocked. Another type of stroke is Hemorrhagic Stroke it occurs when an artery in the brain is rupture causing it to leak. The leaks puts too much pressure on the brains cells ,which damages them. Hemorrhagic stroke is also divided into two categories : Intracerebral hemorrhage, which is the most common type of hemorrhagic stroke , it occur when an artery in the brain bursts , flooding the surrounding tissue with blood. And subarachnoid hemorrhage, which is a lest common type of hemorrhagic stroke, it occurs when there is bleeding in the area between brain and thin tissues that covers it. Last but not least is the Transient Ischemic Attack also known as TIA or sometimes call “mini stroke” . This specific stroke is different from others major types of stroke because it occurs when the blood flow is blocked for only a short period of time (no more than five minutes).

A stroke is a condition which is characterised as loss of brain functioning due to an interruption in the blood flow to the brain (Buzzard, 2013, pg. 5). There are two types of strokes, ischaemic and hemorrhagic strokes (Buzzard, 2013, pg. 6). Ischaemic strokes are the most common type of stroke (Gomes & Wachsman, 2013). This type of stroke occurs due to an insufficient flow of blood to the brain, which is usually caused by an artery blockage (Gomes & Wachsman, 2013). Hemorrhagic strokes are due to hypertension and may be caused by medical problems or blood vessel abnormalities (Gomes & Wachsman, 2013). The strokes severity and location of the brain that is affected determines the impact of the stroke in an individual (Gomes & Wachsman, 2013).(Gomes, 2013)

A stroke can be brought on by many different factors like age, gender and family history – all of which one cannot control. Others are lifestyle factors like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, obesity or being over weight, poor diet, lack of exercise and drinking too much alcohol (stroke foundation Australia). Currently there is no universally accepted treatment (Ward, 2005).

A less common type of stroke is a hemorrhagic stroke. This type of stroke occurs when the artery that supplies blood to the brain ruptures or bursts. Stroke is an expensive disease with lifetime rehabilitation costing over $140,000 per ischemic stroke with higher costs for subarachnoid hemorrhage (Alberts, et. al. 2011). Although stroke risk increases with age, strokes can occur at any age. In 2009, 34% of people hospitalized for stroke were younger than 65 years (Hall, 2012). More women than men have strokes each year, in part because women live longer. Estimates of the overall incidence of stroke in U. S. children are 6.4 per 100,000 (0-15 yrs.) with approximately half being hemorrhagic stroke (ASA, 2016). African Americans are more impacted by stroke than any other racial group within the American

In many cases, strokes can be diagnosed, prevented and treatable. Symptoms of a stroke can occur quickly and may cause: sudden numbness, tingling, or weakness, or paralysis in your face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of your body. Sudden: vision changes, trouble speaking (slurred speech), confusion or trouble understanding simple statements, problems with walking or balance, severe headache. It's recommended to call a doctor or 911 even if these symptoms last for a short amount of time because a transient ischemic attack, or mini stroke may have occurred. The transient ischemic attack may be a precursor to a stroke occurring soon. Catching these symptoms can dramatically increase chances of prevention additional damage to the body (2).

What is a stroke and how is it related to the aging brain? A stroke happens when the blood supply to your brain is interrupted or it is reduced, depriving the brain tissues of oxygen and food (Bendheim, P.E. (2009). Within minutes of a stroke brain cells begin to die. Early action can minimize brain damage and potential complications. A stroke can cause temporary or permanent disabilities, depending on how long the brain suffers the lack of blood flow (Perlmutter, David. (2004). Some complications after a stroke are; paralyzation (loss of muscle movement), memory loss, and trouble talking. Paralyzation is due to the lack of blood flow to the brain, a patient can lose movement in one side of the body. Stroke can damage too many parts of the brain, and it can start an early brain aging. A stroke can cause a patient to loss control over the way muscles in the mouth move, have difficult talking and eating (Bendheim, P.E. (2009). But one can try to prevent a stroke by taking care of their high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking.