The term “Stroke” is a term that is used to describe the death of brain cells – due to loss of blood supply to the area.
During a stroke, one or more areas of the brain can be damaged. Depending upon the area affected, a person may lose the ability to move one side of the body, the ability to speak, the ability to see normally, or a number of other functions. The damage may be temporary or permanent, and the function may be partially or completely lost. A person’s long term outcome depends upon how much brain is damaged, how quickly treatment begins, and a number of other factors.
Strokes are a leading cause of long-lasting injury, disability, and death. Early treatment and preventive measures can reduce the brain damage that occurs as a result of a stroke. The treatment of a stroke depends upon the type of stroke (eg, ischaemic or hemorrhagic), the time since the first stroke symptoms occurred, and the patient’s underlying medical problems.
This can happen in 3 different ways and each Stroke type has a different name:
- ISCHAEMIC STROKE – is caused by a blood clot(s)
- HAEMORRHAGIC STROKE – caused by a blood vessel rupture which caused blood to bleed into brain tissue
- TRANSIENT ISCHAEMIC ATTACK (TIA) – sometimes referred to as a “mini-stroke” which occurs when there is a temporary disruption to blood supply caused by a blood clot.
More than 80% of all strokes are Ischaemic strokes.
All suspected stroke symptoms should be treated as a medical emergency and emergency services should be called immediately- Australia 000 and USA 911