Resource: Medline Plus
Stroke - Also called: Brain attack A stroke is a medical emergency. Strokes happen when blood flow to your brain stops. Within minutes, brain cells begin to die. There are two kinds of stroke. The more common kind, called ischemic stroke, is caused by a blood clot that blocks or plugs a blood vessel in the brain. The other kind, called hemorrhagic stroke, is caused by a blood vessel that breaks and bleeds into the brain. "Mini-strokes" or transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), occur when the blood supply to the brain is briefly interrupted. Symptoms of stroke are - Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg (especially on one side of the body)
- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding speech
- Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
- Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
- Sudden severe headache with no known cause
If you have any of these symptoms, you must get to a hospital quickly to begin treatment. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Latest News Diagnosis/Symptoms Treatment Return to top Prevention/Screening Return to top Nutrition Return to top Rehabilitation/Recovery Return to top Specific Conditions Return to top Related Issues Return to top Health Check Tools Return to top Tutorials Return to top Videos Return to top Anatomy/Physiology Return to top Clinical Trials Return to top Genetics Return to top Research Return to top Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine) Return to top Medical Encyclopedia Return to top Dictionaries/Glossaries Return to top Directories Return to top Organizations Return to top Newsletters/Print Publications Return to top Statistics Return to top Children Return to top Women Return to top Seniors - Stroke
(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) Return to top
Reference: Medline PlusĀ (2008). Stroke. Retrieved September 29, 2008, from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/stroke.html#cat2
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