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Different Kinds of Stroke Explained

When someone suffers a stroke that is only a part of the explanation of what has actually happened to them. A stroke can have more than one cause. Know the different kinds of stroke and if they affect you in any way.

The main cause of stroke in humans is ischemic stroke. Ischemic stroke results in a reduced blood flow or lack of blood flow to a portion of the brain. The brain tissue begins to die and your bodily function is affected depending on the portion of the brain that dies.

An ischemic stroke is caused by blood clots. A blood clot blocks a vessel in the brain and blood can’t pass by it. Clots are prone to lodge in an artery at the point where it branches into a smaller vessel. There are two main ways that a blood clot comes to be stuck in a blood vessel in the brain: thrombus and embolism.

We touched on blood clots. When arterial walls become narrowed due to cholesterol plaques, this is called atherosclerosis. That narrowing due to fatty deposits also attracts platelets that thicken and form clots and block the vessel. A thrombus is a blood clot that develops in the brain in these vessels.

An embolism is a traveling thrombus. It can form in any vessel in the body, become dislodged and travel to the brain. High blood pressure can dislodge a clot and send it careening off through the arterial system where it ends up in the brain.

A hemorrhagic stroke accounts for a smaller percentage of stroke cases. A hemorrhagic stroke has to do with pressure on the brain due to increased blood build-up between the brain and the skull. The compressed tissue is damaged and causes a stroke. Hemorrhagic stroke can have more than one cause: AV malformation, aneurysm or accident.

Some people are born with arteriovenous (AV) malformations in the blood vessels. In the normal circulatory system, veins are joined to arteries via a network of smaller vessels called capillaries. With AV malformations, you have no network of capillaries between arteries and veins. The quick flow of blood causes vessel dilation and possible rupture resulting in bleeding on the brain.

An aneurysm occurs when a blood vessel has a weakened area and ballooning occurs when blood passes through. As the wall continues to get thinner, the vessel eventually ruptures, leaking blood into the brain.

An accident such as a subdural hematoma results in blood leaking from damaged vessels into the spaces under the skull. The brain is compressed, bodily function is impaired and a stroke occurs.

Before a major stroke occurs there are warning signs. These are called TIAs or transient ischemic attacks. A blood clot obstructs a vessel for a short time but with the same effects as if you were having a major stroke. The symptoms disappear in under 24 hours.

If you have risk factors for a stroke, get medical attention.

SBI!