Top Menu

Menu
Menu

Stroke

Also called: Brain attack, CVA

Summary

A stroke is a medical emergency. Strokes happen when blood flow to your brain stops. Within minutes, brain cells begin to die. There are two kinds of stroke. The more common kind, called ischemic stroke, is caused by a blood clot that blocks or plugs a blood vessel in the brain. The other kind, called hemorrhagic stroke, is caused by a blood vessel that breaks and bleeds into the brain. “Mini-strokes” or transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), occur when the blood supply to the brain is briefly interrupted.

Symptoms of stroke are

  • Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg (especially on one side of the body)
  • Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding speech
  • Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
  • Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
  • Sudden severe headache with no known cause

If you have any of these symptoms, you must get to a hospital quickly to begin treatment. Acute stroke therapies try to stop a stroke while it is happening by quickly dissolving the blood clot or by stopping the bleeding. Post-stroke rehabilitation helps individuals overcome disabilities that result from stroke damage. Drug therapy with blood thinners is the most common treatment for stroke.

NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine

Related Issues

Find an Expert

Encyclopedia

Prevention and Risk Factors

Diagnosis and Tests

Statistics and Research

Clinical Trials

Array

Genetics

Reference Desk

Women

Start Here

Videos and Tutorials

Treatments and Therapies

Specifics

Children

Journal Articles

Seniors

Symptoms

Health Check Tools

Latest News

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Community Health

Your Health Our Mission