Stroke symptoms
| Stroke | |
|---|---|
| Synonyms | Cerebrovascular accident (CVA), cerebrovascular insult (CVI), brain attack |
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| CT scan of the brain showing a right-hemispheric ischemic stroke. | |
| Specialty | Neurology |
| Symptoms | Inability to move or feel on one side of the body, problems understanding or speaking, feeling like the world is spinning, loss of vision to one side |
| Causes | Ischemic and hemorrhagic |
| Risk factors | High blood pressure, tobacco smoking, obesity, high blood cholesterol, diabetes mellitus, previous TIA, atrial fibrillation |
| Diagnostic method | Based on symptoms and medical imaging |
| Similar conditions | Low blood sugar |
| Treatment | Based on the type |
| Prognosis | Average life expectancy 1 year |
| Frequency | 42.4 million (2015) |
| Deaths | 6.3 million (2015) |
| Classification | |
|---|---|
| External resources |
Stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain results in cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. They result in part of the brain not functioning properly. Signs and symptoms of a stroke may include an inability to move or feel on one side of the body, problems understanding or speaking, feeling like the world is spinning, or loss of vision to one side. Signs and symptoms often appear soon after the stroke has occurred. If symptoms last less than one or two hours it is known as a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or mini-stroke. A hemorrhagic stroke may also be associated with a severe headache. The symptoms of a stroke can be permanent. Long-term complications may include pneumonia or loss of bladder control.
The main risk factor for stroke is high blood pressure. Other risk factors include tobacco smoking, obesity, high blood cholesterol, diabetes mellitus, previous TIA, and atrial fibrillation. An ischemic stroke is typically caused by blockage of a blood vessel, though there are also less common causes. A hemorrhagic stroke is caused by either bleeding directly into the brain or into the space between the brain's membranes. Bleeding may occur due to a ruptured brain aneurysm. Diagnosis is typically with medical imaging such as a CT scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan along with a physical exam. Other tests such as an electrocardiogram (ECG) and blood tests are done to determine risk factors and rule out other possible causes.Low blood sugar may cause similar symptoms.
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