Stroke

A stroke is a defect in the functioning of part of the brain due to interruption of the blood supply. This is usually (85% of cases) due to blockage of a blood vessel by thickening of the vessel wall, or by blockage from a blood clot broken off from thickening of an artery elsewhere, or from the heart if the heart rate is irregular. A rare cause (10%) is bleeding from a burst blood vessel in the brain.The disability produced by a stroke depends on the part of the brain affected.

TRANSIENT ISCH'EMIC ATTACKS (TIA's) - Isch'emia (pronounced iskeemya) means lack of supply of blood (or more importantly, the oxygen the blood carries). A TIA is a 'mini stroke' where the interruption to the blood supply is transient, and the resulting deficit resolves within 24 hours. This is usually due to a small blood clot blocking a blood vessel and then clearing by itself before the damage to the brain is irreversible. There are treatments to reduce the probability of stroke and TIA's for those of us at risk.
 
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