Stroke

Like a heart attack, Stroke is known as an attack on the brain due to blockages in the blood vessels supplying blood to the brain. The degree of damage depends upon the area and the extent of damage. A minor stroke results in pain and temporary weakness in arms or legs while a major stroke can include permanent paralysis.

A Stroke is broadly classified into three major types as follows:

• Hemorrhagic Stroke – This is a less common type affecting less than 15% of people, but it is responsible for about 40% of all the stroke deaths. A hemorrhagic stroke occurs due to rupturing of the weakened walls of the blood vessels supplying blood to the brain.  Due to this rupture, the blood is released into various parts of the brain resulting in a stroke. This spillage creates instant damage in the blood vessels surrounding the area, causing major death of brain cells or neurons.
• Ischemic Stroke – This type of stroke occurs when the vessels supplying blood to the various parts of the brain are blocked by a clot. Due to this clotting, the supply of blood is halted resulting in the loss of brain cells. Due to lifestyle and environmental factors, this type of the stroke is more common, accounting for about 87% of the stroke patients. However, this is the less severe form of stroke which can be kept under control by taking a precautionary approach. The survival rates are higher in ischemic stroke as compared to the other forms.
• Transient Ischemic Attack – This form of stroke has a short duration involving stoppage of the blood for an abbreviated period of time. This type of stroke is also called a mini stroke. The symptoms of this stroke appear and last for less than 24 hours. This is known to be a very minor attack that does not usually cause any permanent damage. However, this can be taken as a warning signal for a future stroke attack and hence should not be ignored.