Stroke - Cerebral Vascular Accident

A stroke is a medical emergency. The chance of survival, or the chance of recovery, greatly depends on how soon advance medical help is obtained. A stroke is a situation where not enough blood is reaching the brain. Without adequate blood supply (known as ischemia) the brain can not function properly and that part of the brain will begin to die. An alternate name for a stroke is cerebral vascular accident (CVA).

Ischemia can be caused by hemorrhaging, a thrombosis, or an embolism:

• hemorrhaging: sometimes called an aneurysm, is bleeding from a ruptured blood vessel
• thrombosis: a gradual build up of material (e.g. plaque) which eventually results in a blockage
• embolism: an object (e.g. an undissolved blood clot) migrates from a larger artery to a narrower one, resulting in a blockage

After heart disease and cancer, stroke is considered the third leading cause of death in north America. It can be caused by similar risk factors that cause heart disease, such as unhealthy diet (saturated fat, trans fats), high blood cholesterol, smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, lack of exercise, too much stress, diabetes, as well as some factors which can not be controlled such as genetics, age, and gender.

A related condition, known as a transient ischemic attack (TIA), is similar to a stroke, but the effects are not permanent. However, a TIA is still considered a medical emergency because it is a warning sign that a 'real' stroke may occur soon.

Both conditions require advance medical care. If any of the following warning signs are present call an ambulance. Double or blurred vision, memory loss, trouble speaking, trouble understanding, dizziness or loss of balance, loss of neuromuscular control, irregular headache.