A stroke is a serious cardiovascular condition, where in the brain is affected because blood supply that contains oxygen needed by the brain is disrupted because an artery or a blood vessel is blocked or damaged. Strokes should be taken seriously and you should know the risk factors. If your family is genetically prone for having strokes, you should attempt to reduce your risk by not smoking or drinking alcohol. Most people survive the stroke but are left handicapped to some extent.
Strokes are categorized in two major types, ischemic and hemorrhagic. Ischemic types of strokes are subdivided depending on the cause and these include thrombosis, embolism and systemic hypoperfusion or venous thrombosis. Hemorrhagic stroke is subcategorized into intracerebral and subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Ischemic strokes are the most common types of strokes, they occur when an artery containing blood with oxygen and nutrients that is needed for a brain cell to function is blocked. The most common cause of ischemic stroke is the narrowing of the arteries in the head and neck caused by deposits of cholesterol. Another usual caused of ischemic stroke is blood clots.
Thrombotic stroke, sometimes referred to as cerebral thrombosis, is when the damaged arteries are blocked by blood clots in the brain. It can occur in a large blood supply artery like the carotid artery or medial cerebral artery or in the smaller and yet deeper arteries in the brain.
Embolic stroke on the other hand is also caused by a blood clot in an artery but this time it is formed elsewhere, sometimes in the heart, but not in the brain. These emboli will travel the bloodstream and eventually will be trapped until it can not move any further. These will result in a restriction of blood supply to the brain.
Systemic hypoperfusion is a type of ischemic stroke where in there is a decreased blood flow to all parts of the body. This is due to failure of the cardiac pump from a cardiac arrest or reduced cardiac output. Low oxygen content in the blood may increase hypoperfusion since reduce blood flow can affect all parts of the brain and may even result in brain damage.
Another major type of stroke is hemorrhagic stroke where in a blood vessel in the brain is ruptured or is bleeding; because of this the blood vessel leading to the brain will not be able to supply blood to particular brain tissue. In this case the bleeding irritates the tissues in the brain and disrupts the chemical balance within. Continuous bleeding may result which impinges upon the brain tissue and restriction of blood supply occurs in the brain as well.
There are two types of hemorrhagic stroke, the intracerebral where in the damaged blood vessel in the brain bursts and the blood leaks within the brain causing damage to the brain cells. While arachnoid hemorrhage on the other hand, occurs when a blood vessel outside the brain ruptures and the blood fills up the area of the skull surrounding the brain.
Strokes are categorized into different types but all are serious medical conditions which need to be treated immediately to reduce the risk of serious and irreversible damages.
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