A stroke happens when blood flow to a part of the brain stops. A stroke is sometimes called a “brain attack.”
If blood flow is stopped for longer than a few seconds, the brain cannot get blood and oxygen. Brain cells can die, causing permanent damage.
Causes, incidence, and risk factors
There are two major types of stroke: ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke.
Ischemic stroke occurs when a blood vessel that supplies blood to the brain is blocked by a blood clot. This may happen in two ways:
- A clot may form in an artery that is already very narrow. This is called a thrombotic stroke.
- A clot may break off from another place in the blood vessels of the brain, or from some other part of the body, and travel up to the brain. This is called cerebral embolism, or an embolic stroke.
Ischemic strokes may be caused by clogged arteries. Fat, cholesterol, and other substances collect on the artery walls, forming a sticky substance called plaque.
A hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel in part of the brain becomes weak and bursts open, causing blood to leak into the brain. Some people have defects in the blood vessels of the brain that make this more likely. These defects may include:
STROKE RISK FACTORS
High blood pressure is the number one risk factor for strokes. The other major risk factors are:
- Atrial fibrillation
- Diabetes
- Family history of stroke
- High cholesterol
- Increasing age, especially after age 55
- Race (black people are more likely to die of a stroke)
People who have heart disease or poor blood flow in their legs caused by narrowed arteries are also more likely to have a stroke.
The chance of stroke is higher in people who live an unhealthy lifestyle by:
- Being overweight or obese
- Drinking heavily
- Eating too much fat or salt
- Smoking
- Taking cocaine and other illegal drugs
Birth control pills can increase the chances of having blood clots. The risk is highest in woman who smoke and are older than 35.
For more information, see: Stroke risk factors
Symptoms
The symptoms of stroke depend on what part of the brain is damaged. In some cases, a person may not know that he or she has had a stroke.
Symptoms usually develop suddenly and without warning. Or, symptoms may occur on and off for the first day or two. Symptoms are usually most severe when the stroke first happens, but they may slowly get worse.
A headache may occur, especially if the stroke is caused by bleeding in the brain. The headache:
- Starts suddenly and may be severe
- Occurs when you are lying flat
- Wakes you up from sleep
- Gets worse when you change positions or when you bend, strain, or cough
Other symptoms depend on how severe the stroke is and what part of the brain is affected. Symptoms may include:
- Change in alertness (including sleepiness, unconsciousness, and coma)
- Changes in hearing
- Changes in taste
- Changes that affect touch and the ability to feel pain, pressure, or different temperatures
- Clumsiness
- Confusion or loss of memory
- Difficulty swallowing
- Difficulty writing or reading
- Dizziness or abnormal feeling of movement (vertigo)
- Lack of control over the bladder or bowels
- Loss of balance
- Loss of coordination
- Muscle weakness in the face, arm, or leg (usually just on one side)
- Numbness or tingling on one side of the body
- Personality, mood, or emotional changes
- Problems with eyesight, including decreased vision, double vision, or total loss of vision
- Trouble speaking or understanding others who are speaking
- Trouble walking
Signs and tests
A complete exam should be done. Your doctor will:
- Check for problems with vision, movement, feeling, reflexes, understanding, and speaking. Your doctor and nurses will repeat this exam over time to see if your stroke is getting worse or improving.
- Listen for an abnormal sound, called a “bruit,” when using a stethoscope to listen to the carotid arteries in the neck. A bruit is caused by abnormal blood flow.
- Check your blood pressure, which may be high.
Tests can help your doctor find the type, location, and cause of the stroke and rule out other disorders.
- Angiogram of the head can show which blood vessel is blocked or bleeding
- Carotid duplex (ultrasound) can show if the carotid arteries in your neck have narrowed
- CT scan of the brain is often done soon after symptoms of a stroke begin. An MRI scan of the brain may be done instead or afterwards
- Echocardiogram may be done if the stroke could have been caused by a blood clot from the heart
- Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) or CT angiography may be done to check for abnormal blood vessels in the brain
Other tests include:
- Lab tests will include:
- Bleeding time
- Blood cholesterol and sugar
- Blood clotting tests (prothrombin time or partial thromboplastin time)
- Complete blood count (CBC)
- Electrocardiogram (ECG) and heart rhythm monitoring — to show whether an irregular heartbeat (such as atrial fibrillation) caused the stroke
Treatment
A stroke is a medical emergency. Getting treated right away can save lives and reduce problems after a stroke. Call 911 or your local emergency number or seek urgent medical care at the first signs of a stroke.
It is very important for people who are having stroke symptoms to get to a hospital as quickly as possible.
- If the stroke is caused by a blood clot, a clot-busting drug may be given to dissolve the clot.
- For this drug to work, you must be seen and treatment must begin within 3 to 4 1/2 hours of when the symptoms first started.
Other treatments given in the hospital depend on the cause of the stroke:
- Blood thinners such as heparin, warfarin (Coumadin), aspirin, or clopidogrel (Plavix)
- Medicine to control symptoms such as high blood pressure
- Special procedures or surgery to relieve symptoms or prevent more strokes
- Nutrients and fluids
- A feeding tube in the stomach (gastrostomy tube)
Physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and swallowing therapy will all begin in the hospital.
The goal of treatment after a stroke is to help you recover as much function as possible and prevent future strokes.
Recovery will begin while you are still in the hospital or at a rehabilitation center. It will continue when you go home from the hospital or center.
During stroke recovery, you will learn how to manage:
- Bladder and bowel problems
- Living at home instead of a nursing facility
- Loss of movement or feeling in one or more parts of the body
- Muscle and nerve problems
- Muscle spasms
- Pressure sores
- Speech problems
- Stroke rehabilitation
- Swallowing and eating problems
- Thinking and memory problems
Support Groups
Support and resources are available from the American Stroke Association — www.strokeassociation.org.
Expectations (prognosis)
The outlook depends on:
- The type of stroke
- How much brain tissue is damaged
- What body functions have been affected
- How quickly you get treated
Problems moving, thinking, and talking often improve in the weeks to months after a stroke.
Many people who have had a stroke will keep improving in the months or years after their stroke.
Over half of people who have a stroke are able to function and live at home. Other people are not able to care for themselves.
If treatment with clot-busting drugs is successful, the symptoms of a stroke may go away. However, patients often do not get to the hospital soon enough to receive these drugs, or they cannot take these drugs because of a health condition.
People who have a stroke due to a blood clot (ischemic stroke) have a better chance of surviving than those who have a stroke due to bleeding in the brain (hemorrhagic stroke).
The risk for a second stroke is highest during the weeks or months after the first stroke. Then the risk begins to decrease.
Calling your health care provider
Stroke is a medical emergency that needs to be treated right away. Call your local emergency number (such as 911) if someone has symptoms of a stroke.
Prevention
References
- Latchaw RE, Alberts MJ, Lev MH, Connors JJ, Harbaugh RE, Higashida RT, et al. Recommendations for imaging of acute ischemic stroke: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Stroke. 2009;40:3646-3678. Epub 2009 Sep 24.
- Del Zoppo GJ, Saver JL, Jauch EC, Adams HP Jr: American Heart Association Stroke Council, Expansion of the time window for treatment of acute ischemic stroke with intravenous tissue plasminogen activator: a science advisory from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. Stroke. 2009;40:2945-2948. Epub 2009 May 28.
- Chung CS, Caplan LR. Stroke and other neurovascular disorders. In: Goetz, CG, eds. Textbook of Clinical Neurology. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 45.
- Furie KL, Kasner SE, Adams RJ, Albers GW, Bush RL, Fagan SC, et al. Guidelines for the prevention of stroke in patients with stroke or transient ischemic attack: a guideline for healthcare professionals from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. Stroke. 2011;42:227-276.
- Goldstein LB, Bushnell CD, Adams RJ, Appel LJ, Braun LT, Chaturvedi S, et al. Guidelines for the primary prevention of stroke: a guideline for healthcare professionals from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. Stroke. 2011;42:517-584.
- Morgenstern LB, Hemphill JC 3rd, Anderson C, Becker K, Broderick JP, Connolly ES Jr, et al. Guidelines for the management of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage: a guideline for healthcare professionals from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. Stroke. 2010;41:2108-2129.
- Kenning TJ, Gooch MR, Gandhi RH, Shaikh MP, Boulos AS, German JW. Cranial decompression for the treatment of malignant intracranial hypertension after ischemic cerebral infarction: decompressive craniectomy and hinge craniotomy. J Neurosurg. 2012;116(6):1289-1298.
- Review Date: 5/21/2012.Reviewed by: Luc Jasmin, MD, PhD, Department of Neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, and Department of Anatomy at UCSF, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M. Health Solutions, Ebix, Inc.
Copyright © 2013, A.D.A.M., Inc.