Brain disease diagnosis with medical doctor seeing Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) film diagnosing elderly ageing patient neurodegenerative illness problem for neurological medical treatment. Picture: iStock
Stroke occurs when the blood supply to part of your brain is interrupted or severely reduced, depriving brain tissue of oxygen and nutrients. Within minutes, brain cells begin to die.
It is a medical emergency that requires prompt treatment to minimise brain damage and potential complications. Seek immediate medical attention if you notice any signs or symptoms of a stroke, even if they seem to fluctuate or disappear.
A stroke may be caused by a blocked artery (ischaemic stroke) or the leaking or bursting of a blood vessel (haemorrhagic stroke). Some people may experience only a temporary disruption of blood flow to their brain.
Ischaemic strokes occur when the arteries to your brain become narrowed or blocked, causing severely reduced blood flow (ischaemia). It could be due to a blood clot forming in one of the arteries.
A clot may be caused by fatty deposits (plaque) that build up in arteries and cause reduced blood flow (atherosclerosis) or other artery conditions. Sometimes a clot happens when a blood clot or other debris forms away from your brain – commonly in your heart – and is swept through your bloodstream to lodge in narrower brain arteries.
These occur when a blood vessel in your brain leaks or ruptures. Brain haemorrhages can result from many conditions that affect your blood vessels, including uncontrolled high blood pressure (hypertension), over-treatment with anticoagulants and weak spots in your blood vessel walls (aneurysms).
An intra-cerebral haemorrhage happens when a blood vessel in the brain bursts and spills into the surrounding brain tissue, damaging brain cells.
High blood pressure, trauma, vascular malformations, use of blood-thinning medications and other conditions may cause an intra-cerebral haemorrhage.
A sub-arachnoid haemorrhage happens when an artery on or near the surface of your brain bursts and spills into the space between the surface of your brain and your skull.
This bleeding is often signalled by a sudden, severe headache.
Also known as TIA or a mini-stroke, it is a brief period of symptoms similar to those you’d have in a stroke. A temporary decrease in blood supply to part of your brain causes TIAs, which often last less than five minutes.
It also occurs when a clot or debris blocks blood flow to part of your brain.
A TIA doesn’t leave lasting symptoms because the blockage is temporary. Having a TIA puts you at greater risk of having a full-blown stroke, causing permanent damage later. If you’ve had a TIA, it means there’s likely a partially blocked or narrowed artery leading to your brain or a clot source in the heart.
A stroke can sometimes cause temporary or permanent disabilities, depending on how long the brain lacks blood flow and which part was affected.
Complications may include:
Many stroke prevention strategies are the same as strategies to prevent heart disease.
In general, healthy lifestyle recommendations include:
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