Simple Term Stroke
STROKE
A stroke—also called a cerebrovascular accident (CVA) or a brain attack—is an injury to the blood vessels of the brain that causes neurological malfunctioning. In the United States, as many as 87% of all strokes are caused by the sudden blockage of a cerebral artery. The resulting decrease in blood flow leads to ischemic damage in the region of the brain that is fed by the artery. These CVAs are called ischemic strokes. Most ischemic strokes are due to blood clots.
The remaining 13% of strokes are caused by the rupture of blood vessels or aneurysms and subsequent bleeding into the brain or the subarachnoid space surrounding the brain. These CVAs are called hemorrhagic strokes.
Both types of vascular damage—clots and ruptured vessels—can also occur in the spinal cord, and neurologists often call these spinal cord strokes. The simple term stroke, however, generally refers to vascular damage to the brain.
Ischemic strokes typically give specific (focal), painless neurological symptoms. Common stroke symptoms include:
Numbness or weakness on one side of the body Confusion, difficulty speaking, or difficulty understanding Difficulty seeing Difficulty walking Severe headache with no known cause (NINDS, 2010) Besides the specificity of the neurological deficits, another characteristic of stroke is that its symptoms show up suddenly. Thus, a stroke is defined as the abrupt appearance of focal neurological deficits that are caused by damage to blood vessels of the brain (Crocco et al., 2009).
STROKE
A stroke is the sudden appearance of neurological problems caused by injury to or blockage of blood vessels. Strokes typically change a person’s ability to move, feel, talk, or understand.
TIA
A TIA, or transient ischemic attack, is the sudden appearance of stroke symptoms that are transitory and that are not accompanied by detectable tissue damage (Easton et al., 2009).
This definition of TIA is new. Previously, the
A stroke—also called a cerebrovascular accident (CVA) or a brain attack—is an injury to the blood vessels of the brain that causes neurological malfunctioning. In the United States, as many as 87% of all strokes are caused by the sudden blockage of a cerebral artery. The resulting decrease in blood flow leads to ischemic damage in the region of the brain that is fed by the artery. These CVAs are called ischemic strokes. Most ischemic strokes are due to blood clots.
The remaining 13% of strokes are caused by the rupture of blood vessels or aneurysms and subsequent bleeding into the brain or the subarachnoid space surrounding the brain. These CVAs are called hemorrhagic strokes.
Both types of vascular damage—clots and ruptured vessels—can also occur in the spinal cord, and neurologists often call these spinal cord strokes. The simple term stroke, however, generally refers to vascular damage to the brain.
Ischemic strokes typically give specific (focal), painless neurological symptoms. Common stroke symptoms include:
Numbness or weakness on one side of the body Confusion, difficulty speaking, or difficulty understanding Difficulty seeing Difficulty walking Severe headache with no known cause (NINDS, 2010) Besides the specificity of the neurological deficits, another characteristic of stroke is that its symptoms show up suddenly. Thus, a stroke is defined as the abrupt appearance of focal neurological deficits that are caused by damage to blood vessels of the brain (Crocco et al., 2009).
STROKE
A stroke is the sudden appearance of neurological problems caused by injury to or blockage of blood vessels. Strokes typically change a person’s ability to move, feel, talk, or understand.
TIA
A TIA, or transient ischemic attack, is the sudden appearance of stroke symptoms that are transitory and that are not accompanied by detectable tissue damage (Easton et al., 2009).
This definition of TIA is new. Previously, the