preview

Stroke Definition

Decent Essays

Stroke: A stroke involves loss of brain functions caused by a loss of blood circulation to areas of the brain.
Causes: Occurs when the blood supply to part of your brain is interrupted or severely reduced, depriving brain tissue of oxygen and food. Within minutes, brain cells begin to die.
In Ischemic cerebral blood flow is suddenly impaired by a thrombus or embolus.
In Haemorrhagic the rupture of a cerebral blood vessel causes bleeding into the subarachnoid space or brain tissue.
Types of stroke: Haemorrhagic stroke and Transient ischemic stroke.
Definition of Haemorrhagic stroke: Ruptured blood vessels in the brain
Definition of Transient Ischemic stroke: Blocked blood vessels in the brain
Haemorrhage: Intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) and …show more content…

This will form a gradually enlarging hematoma (blood pool). Intracerebral Haemorrhages can be caused by local vessel abnormalities (hypertension, vasculitis, vascular malformation) or systemic factors (drugs, trauma, tumours and sickle cell anaemia/leukaemia). Haemorrhaging directly damages brain tissue and raises intracranial pressure giving headaches, vomiting nausea and eventually coma and death.
Subarachnoid haemorrhage: Gradual collection of blood in the subarachnoid space of the Dura. These can be traumatic or spontaneous. Spontaneous haemorrhages occur through saccular (berry) aneurysms and through extensions of intracranial haemorrhaging or due to similar causes.
Pathophysiology of stroke:
Brain injury Due to:
• Vascular blockage or hemodynamic disturbances from intracranial or the extra cranial vascular injury (stenosis, splitting, vasculitis)
• Interruption of the cerebral blood flow
• Neurotic death (infarct) when self-regulation of blood flow and collateral circulation are insufficient
Results to Functional body disorders which are controlled by the damaged part of the

Get Access