| Hopefully you never had to endure a situation of | | | | bursts. The most frequent is the rupture of an |
| someone close to you to suffer from transient | | | | aneurysm, a weak spot on the wall of an artery that |
| ischemic attach (TIA), also known as mini stoke, or | | | | happens to be in your brain-aneurysms can occur |
| from a stroke. In any case, you should be familiar with | | | | elsewhere in the body, too. Experts point out that |
| both kinds of stroke as they both destroy brain tissue | | | | women are twice as likely as men to have an |
| and can produce similar long-term effects. But there | | | | aneurysm in the brain and are more likely to have |
| are important differences in what causes them and in | | | | multiple aneurysms than men. Two other causes for |
| the symptoms that tell you which kind of stroke is | | | | bleeding in the brain are: hypertension, which can |
| happening. | | | | create enough pressure to break an artery wall, and |
| Ischemic Stroke: | | | | arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in the brain. This is |
| According to statistics, 80 percent of strokes belong to | | | | a snarl of defective blood vessels and capillaries |
| the ischemic stroke kind. These mini-strokes occur | | | | whose thin walls are prone to rupture. |
| when blood flow to the brain is blocked by | | | | - Symptoms: A sudden violent headache, as if cracking |
| plaque-clogged arteries or by blood clots. This means | | | | a fault like through the brain's delicate architecture. The |
| that blood is not circulating properly inside the brain | | | | patient may also suffer from blurred vision or nausea. |
| causing brain cells to die if even for a few minutes no | | | | If you ever suspect you might be having a TIA or |
| oxygen is transmitted to them via the blood. | | | | stroke or believe you are witnessing someone else |
| - Symptoms: Sudden numbness or weakness, | | | | having one, make sure 911 (or your local emergency |
| especially on one side of the body; difficulty speaking | | | | unit) be called immediately. Tell the dispatcher that, if |
| or understanding speech; trouble seeing in one or both | | | | possible, you want to be transported to a hospital with |
| eyes; dizziness and a sudden loss of balance; falling in | | | | a stroke center. Do not attempt to drive to the |
| and out of consciousness; chest pain and shortness of | | | | emergency room yourself. Stroke patients who arrive |
| breath. These last three symptoms are | | | | at the hospital by ambulance are evaluated sooner by |
| less-brain-centered and are more commonly | | | | an ER physician, get the necessary testing and are |
| experienced by women. | | | | admitted to the hospital or intensive-care unit more |
| Hemorrhagic Stroke: | | | | frequently than those who arrive by taxi or car. Most |
| These brain hemorrhages happen when a blood | | | | importantly, bring someone prepared to advocate for |
| vessel in the brain bursts, spilling blood into the | | | | you or the patient. Be prepared by being informed and |
| surrounding tissue. There are various causes of these | | | | act fast! |