How do strokes work?

According to early reports, she was quickly rushed to the hospital. Later reports disputed the early reports, and who knows what really happened. But when those early reports came out, the speculation was that she had suffered from a stroke. In a stroke, something goes wrong with the supply to the brain. In Branson's case, it appeared that the blood supply to

her speech center was suddenly interrupted. Everyone has heard of a heart attack because heart attacks are the number one killer in America according to the c d C, and most people understand the cause of heart attacks. On the outside of the heart, there are blood vessels that supply oxygen and nutrients to the hearts muscle cells. If one of those blood vessels gets clogged, either with plaque or with a blood clot, part of the heart muscle runs

out of oxygen and starts dying. A stroke is the same kind of thing that happens in the brain, cutting off oxygen to an area of the brain and causing brain cells to start dying. Strokes are currently the number three cause of death in the United States. Strokes are categorized by the way in which the blood supply is interrupted. In the most common type of stroke, something blocks in artery.

The two things that can blow an artery in the brain are the same two things that can block an artery in the heart, either plaque or a blood clot. Plaque is a fatty substance that builds up on the inside of arteries, slowly filling them and shrinking the amount of blood that can flow. If enough plaque builds up, it cuts off blood flow completely and causes a stroke. This is the most common way to have a stroke. Blood clots are less likely than plaque, but they have

exactly the same effect. One advantage of a stroke caused by a blood clot is that clots can sometimes be dissolved with clot busting drugs. If dissolved quickly enough, the brain can sometimes recover. The other type of stroke is a hemorrhagic stroke, and here there's a rupture instead of a blockage. One of the blood vessels inside the brain breaks and starts bleeding. This can not only cut off the blood supply, but may also cause pressure on parts

of the brain from the blood that escapes. The rupture can come from an aneurysm, a thin part of a larger blood vessel that pops like a balloon, or a rupture, and a small blood vessel often triggered because blood pressure is too high. Once a stroke occurs, there are a number of telltale signs that may appear. A sharp, sudden headache that comes out of nowhere is one of the classic signs. Slurred speech, as in the case of Serene Branson, is another. A sudden inability to understand or respond to

spoken commands usually indicates a stroke as well. If a limb suddenly goes numb or goes limp or it looks like the muscles on one side of the face have stopped working, that would be another classic sign of a stroke. Strange sudden vision problems would be another. The place where the stroke occurs controls the symptoms. For example, if the stroke occurs near the part of the brain that controls the right arm, then the right arm will go limp.

There are something like seven hundred thousand strokes in the United States every year. They are fairly common events, especially in older adults. If you're visiting with a friend who suddenly manifests strange symptoms like those described above, time is of the essence. The quicker a stroke is treated, the better the chances of recovery. Call nine one one immediately and keep the person having the stroke calm until help arrives.

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