- High Blood Pressure (Hypertension): The top stroke risk factor, high blood pressure damages blood vessels over time, increasing blockages or ruptures.
- Smoking: Tobacco use significantly raises stroke risk by damaging blood vessels, increasing blood pressure, and promoting clots.
- Diabetes: Diabetes increases stroke risk by damaging blood vessels over time.
- What is a Stroke?
- Stroke Symptoms
- What Causes a Stroke?
- Ischemic Stroke
- Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)
- Hemorrhagic Stroke
- Risk Factors for Stroke
- Diagnosis of Stroke
- Stroke Medications
- Recovering from a Stroke
- The Takeaway
- Face drooping: One side of the face may droop or feel numb. Ask the person to smile to check for unevenness.
- Arm weakness: One arm may feel weak or numb. Ask the person to raise both arms to see if one drifts downward.
- Speech difficulty: Speech may be slurred or hard to understand. Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence to check for abnormalities.
- Time to call emergency services: If you notice any of these signs, call emergency services immediately. Quick action is vital, as early treatment can minimize brain damage and improve recovery chances.
- Sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side
- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking, or difficulty understanding speech
- Sudden vision problems in one or both eyes
- Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance, or lack of coordination
- Sudden severe headache with no known cause
- High Blood Pressure (Hypertension): The leading stroke risk factor, high blood pressure damages blood vessels over time, making them prone to blockages or ruptures. Managing blood pressure through lifestyle changes and medication can lower stroke risk.
- Atherosclerosis: Fatty deposits (plaque) build up in arteries, narrowing or blocking blood flow. Plaque rupture can cause blood clots leading to ischemic strokes.
- Heart Disease: Conditions like atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat), heart valve defects, and heart attacks increase stroke risk. Atrial fibrillation can cause heart blood clots that travel to the brain.
- Diabetes: Diabetes raises stroke risk by damaging blood vessels and promoting atherosclerosis. Poor blood sugar control worsens other health issues that increase stroke risk.
- High Cholesterol: High LDL (“bad”) cholesterol contributes to atherosclerosis, raising stroke risk. Managing cholesterol through diet, exercise, and medication helps.
- Smoking: Smoking damages blood vessels, raises blood pressure, and promotes blood clots, increasing ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke risks. Quitting smoking significantly lowers stroke risk.
- Obesity and Physical Inactivity: Being overweight or inactive links to stroke risk factors like high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol. Healthy weight and regular exercise reduce these risks.
- Excessive Alcohol Consumption: Heavy drinking raises blood pressure and contributes to heart disease and atrial fibrillation, increasing stroke risk. Moderating alcohol intake is key for prevention.
- Family History and Genetics: Family history or genetic factors may predispose people to strokes. While genes can’t be changed, knowing family history helps manage other risks proactively.
- Thrombotic Stroke: A blood clot forms in a brain artery, often in a narrowed or diseased artery from atherosclerosis. These strokes frequently happen during low blood flow periods, like sleep or inactivity.
- Embolic Stroke: A blood clot or debris forms elsewhere (usually the heart or neck arteries) and travels to block a brain artery. Common sources include heart clots from atrial fibrillation or after a heart attack. Embolic strokes strike suddenly and may affect multiple brain areas.
- Sudden weakness or numbness, usually on one side
- Difficulty speaking or understanding speech
- Confusion or mental status changes
- Vision problems like blurred or double vision
- Severe headache with no known cause
- Trouble walking, dizziness, or loss of balance/coordination
- Sudden weakness or numbness, often on one side
- Temporary vision loss, often in one eye
- Difficulty speaking or understanding speech
- Confusion or mental status changes
- Loss of balance or coordination
- Dizziness or vertigo
- Temporary face, arm, or leg paralysis or weakness
- Intracerebral Hemorrhage (ICH): A brain blood vessel ruptures, spilling blood into brain tissue. The bleeding compresses and damages nearby cells, causing neurological deficits. ICH is often linked to high blood pressure and is more common in older adults.
- Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (SAH): Bleeding occurs between the brain and its covering tissues (subarachnoid space). This often results from a ruptured aneurysm—a bulging weak spot in a blood vessel wall. SAH causes sudden, severe “worst headache of life” pain.
- Sudden, severe headache
- Weakness or numbness on one side
- Nausea and vomiting
- Decreased consciousness
- Seizures
- Vision changes
- Difficulty speaking or understanding speech
- Loss of balance or coordination
- High Blood Pressure (Hypertension): The top stroke risk factor, high blood pressure damages blood vessels over time, increasing blockages or ruptures.
- Smoking: Tobacco use significantly raises stroke risk by damaging blood vessels, increasing blood pressure, and promoting clots.
- Diabetes: Diabetes increases stroke risk by damaging blood vessels over time.
Recognizing stroke symptoms quickly and seeking immediate medical care can greatly improve recovery. Symptoms often appear suddenly and may include facial drooping, weakness or paralysis, and slurred speech.
Table of Contents
What is a stroke?
A stroke, commonly called a “brain attack,” happens when blood flow to part of the brain is blocked or reduced, depriving brain tissue of oxygen and nutrients. This can lead to rapid brain cell death, causing permanent damage or disability. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic and hemorrhagic.
Ischemic strokes are the most frequent, making up about 85% of all strokes. They occur when a blood clot blocks or narrows an artery supplying blood to the brain. The clot may form in the brain itself (thrombotic stroke) or travel from elsewhere in the body, like the heart or neck (embolic stroke).
Hemorrhagic strokes happen when a weakened blood vessel bursts and bleeds into the brain (intracerebral hemorrhage) or on the brain’s surface (subarachnoid hemorrhage). This bleeding causes swelling and increased pressure in the skull, leading to further damage.
Strokes are medical emergencies requiring immediate attention. The longer the brain lacks blood and oxygen, the greater the risk of permanent brain damage or death. Recognizing stroke signs and getting prompt medical help is crucial for better outcomes and reducing long-term disability.
Stroke symptoms
Identifying stroke symptoms is critical for timely treatment and better recovery. The FAST acronym helps spot stroke signs:
Other common stroke symptoms include:
Not all symptoms may appear, and they can vary based on the stroke type and location. Some people may experience a transient ischemic attack (TIA), or mini-stroke, with temporary symptoms that resolve quickly but still require medical attention.
If you or someone shows possible stroke symptoms, don’t wait—call emergency services immediately. Early intervention can significantly impact recovery.
What causes a stroke?
Strokes result from various factors that disrupt blood flow to the brain. Understanding these causes helps with prevention and management. Key contributors include:
Addressing these causes and adopting a healthy lifestyle can significantly lower stroke risk. Regular check-ups, medication adherence, and ongoing risk management are vital for prevention.
Ischemic stroke
Ischemic stroke is the most common type, making up about 85% of cases. It occurs when a blockage or clot in a brain blood vessel reduces blood flow and oxygen to brain tissue. Without oxygen, brain cells die quickly, causing stroke symptoms.
There are two main ischemic stroke subtypes:
Ischemic stroke symptoms vary by blockage location and extent but often include:
Quick symptom recognition is crucial for immediate medical care. Ischemic stroke treatment focuses on restoring blood flow and preventing further damage. This may involve clot-busting drugs (thrombolytics) or mechanical thrombectomy to remove the clot. Rehabilitation and prevention strategies are also key for recovery and reducing future stroke risk.
Transient ischemic attack (TIA)
A Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA), or “mini-stroke,” is a temporary blood flow disruption to the brain that typically resolves within minutes to hours. Though temporary, TIAs are serious warnings of potential future strokes.
TIAs occur when brain blood vessels are temporarily blocked, similar to ischemic strokes. However, TIAs don’t usually cause permanent brain damage because the blockage resolves before significant damage occurs. Still, TIAs require immediate evaluation and treatment to prevent full strokes.
TIA symptoms mirror stroke symptoms but are temporary, usually resolving within 24 hours. Common signs include:
Seek immediate medical attention for TIA symptoms, as they indicate heightened stroke risk. Healthcare providers will conduct evaluations, including MRI or CT scans, to determine the cause and assess stroke risk.
TIA treatment focuses on reducing future stroke risk by addressing underlying factors. This may include lifestyle changes like quitting smoking, managing blood pressure and cholesterol, controlling diabetes, maintaining healthy weight, and exercising. Medications like antiplatelet drugs (e.g., aspirin) or anticoagulants may be prescribed to prevent clots and lower stroke recurrence risk.
Recognizing TIA warning signs is crucial for early detection and intervention, helping prevent future strokes and long-term disability.
Hemorrhagic stroke
Hemorrhagic stroke, though less common than ischemic stroke, is often more severe. It occurs when a weakened brain blood vessel ruptures, bleeding into surrounding tissues. This causes damage and swelling, with increased pressure further harming brain cells.
There are two main hemorrhagic stroke types:
Hemorrhagic stroke symptoms vary by bleeding location and extent but may include:
Hemorrhagic strokes are medical emergencies requiring immediate care. Treatment involves stabilizing the patient, controlling blood pressure, and preventing further bleeding. Surgery may be needed to remove blood clots, repair damaged vessels, or relieve brain pressure.
Preventing hemorrhagic stroke involves managing risk factors like high blood pressure, avoiding tobacco, limiting alcohol, and treating conditions that increase bleeding risk (e.g., aneurysms).
Though less common than ischemic strokes, hemorrhagic strokes have higher mortality rates and more severe long-term disability. Quick symptom recognition and rapid medical care are critical for better outcomes and reduced complications.
Risk factors for stroke
Understanding stroke risk factors is key for prevention and early intervention. Some risks are modifiable through lifestyle changes and medical management, while others (like age and family history) can’t be changed. Major stroke risk factors include: