Related topics: brain , patients , ischemic stroke , heart attack , heart disease
Stroke
hideA stroke is the rapidly developing loss of brain function(s) due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia (lack of blood supply) caused by thrombosis or embolism or due to a hemorrhage. As a result, the affected area of the brain is unable to function, leading to inability to move one or more limbs on one side of the body, inability to understand or formulate speech, or inability to see one side of the visual field. In the past, stroke was referred to as cerebrovascular accident or CVA, but the term "stroke" is now preferred.[citation needed]
A stroke is a medical emergency and can cause permanent neurological damage, complications, and death. It is the leading cause of adult disability in the United States and Europe. In the UK, it is the second most common cause of death, the first being heart attacks and third being cancer. It is the number two cause of death worldwide and may soon become the leading cause of death worldwide. Risk factors for stroke include advanced age, hypertension (high blood pressure), previous stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), diabetes, high cholesterol, cigarette smoking and atrial fibrillation. High blood pressure is the most important modifiable risk factor of stroke.
The traditional definition of stroke, devised by the World Health Organization in the 1970s, is a "neurological deficit of cerebrovascular cause that persists beyond 24 hours or is interrupted by death within 24 hours". This definition was supposed to reflect the reversibility of tissue damage and was devised for the purpose, with the time frame of 24 hours being chosen arbitrarily. The 24-hour limit divides stroke from transient ischemic attack, which is a related syndrome of stroke symptoms that resolve completely within 24 hours. With the availability of treatments that, when given early, can reduce stroke severity, many now prefer alternative concepts, such as brain attack and acute ischemic cerebrovascular syndrome (modeled after heart attack and acute coronary syndrome respectively), that reflect the urgency of stroke symptoms and the need to act swiftly.
A stroke is occasionally treated with thrombolysis ("clot buster"), but usually with supportive care (speech and language therapy, physiotherapy and occupational therapy) in a "stroke unit" and secondary prevention with antiplatelet drugs (aspirin and often dipyridamole), blood pressure control, statins, and in selected patients with carotid endarterectomy and anticoagulation.
For more information about Stroke, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with stroke
Bored to death? It's possible
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
18 hours ago |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists from the University College London in the U.K. have found that living a life of boredom can kill you.
Recent immigrants may have lower risk of early stroke
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Feb 03, 2010 |
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New immigrants to North America may be less likely to have a stroke at a young age than long-time residents, according to a study published in the February 3, 2010, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the Am ...
Antidepressant may result in improved cognitive function after stroke
Medicine & Health / Medications
Feb 01, 2010 |
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Patients who received the antidepressant escitalopram following a stroke appeared to recover more of their thinking, learning and memory skills than those taking placebo or participating in problem-solving therapy, according ...
Memory failing? You may be at higher risk for stroke
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Feb 01, 2010 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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People who experience memory loss or a decline in their thinking abilities may be at higher risk of stroke, regardless of whether they have been diagnosed with dementia, according to a new study published in the February ...
Childhood obesity alone may increase risk of later cardiovascular disease
Jan 26, 2010 |
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By as early as 7 years of age, being obese may raise a child's risk of future heart disease and stroke, even in the absence of other cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, according to a new study accepted ...
Degree of obesity raises risk of stroke, regardless of gender, race
Jan 21, 2010 |
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The higher a person's degree of obesity, the higher their risk of stroke -- regardless of race, gender and how obesity is measured, according to a new study published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Stroke's 'death signal' discovered; may aid drug development
Jan 21, 2010 |
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Biomedical scientists from the University of Central Florida and Louisiana State University have identified a way to block a "cell death signal" that they believe triggers brain damage during strokes.
Hypertension: Beta-blockers effective in combination therapies
Medicine & Health / Medications
Jan 19, 2010 |
3 / 5 (1) |
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Using beta-blockers as a second-line therapy in combination with certain anti-hypertensive drugs significantly lowers blood pressure in patients with hypertension, according to a systematic review by Cochrane Researchers. ...
3-D goggles offer hope to stroke victims
Jan 18, 2010 |
4 / 5 (2) |
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Researchers have developed 3-D goggles that could help stroke victims recover their lost vision.
Spouse Caregivers at Increased Risk for Stroke
Jan 14, 2010 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- USF-led research indicates especially elevated risk for African-American men.
Young men consuming an alarming amount of salt
Jan 13, 2010 |
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Young Swedish men are consuming at least double the recommended amount of salt according to a study carried out by the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital.
New stroke therapy successful in rats
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Jan 12, 2010 |
5 / 5 (4) |
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People with impaired mobility after a stroke soon may have a therapy that restores limb function long after the injury, if a supplemental protein works as well in humans as it does in paralyzed rats.
Weekend strokes may receive more aggressive treatment
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Jan 11, 2010 |
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Stroke patients admitted to the hospital on the weekend appear more likely to receive the clot-dissolving medication tissue plasminogen activator than patients admitted during the week, according to a report in the January ...
Study reveals how one form of natural vitamin E protects brain after stroke
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Jan 11, 2010 |
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Blocking the function of an enzyme in the brain with a specific kind of vitamin E can prevent nerve cells from dying after a stroke, new research suggests.
Observation about how nervous system learns and encodes motion could improve stroke recovery
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Jan 07, 2010 |
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Bioengineers have taken a small step toward improving physical recovery in stroke patients by showing that a key feature of how limb motion is encoded in the nervous system plays a crucial role in how new ...
