Three Types of Stroke

There are three types of strokes. The most commonly occurring one is the ischemic stroke, which is close to 80 percent of all the strokes occurring.

The other two types of strokes are intracerebral hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhage. While neither is even close to being as common, the damage they do is just as devastating.

The ischemic stroke comes from something blocking the flow of blood. The blockage may be from a clot or deposits of cholesterol in the arteries. The blood carries vital nutrition and oxygen to the brain cells. It also removes the cellular waste and carbon dioxide. If there's a lack of the blood flow, the brain cells die after a few minutes from lack of nutrients, oxygen and built up waste.

The intracerebral hemorrhage comes from a rupture of the blood vessel inside the brain. Normally, an intracerebral hemorrhage takes place when a person has untreated or excessively high blood pressure. Head trauma, weakened artery walls, tumors and infections can also cause the vessels to burst.

Once the vessels burst, they do not provide the necessary nutrition to the surrounding cells. If the bleed is excessive, the pressure from the trapped blood also causes more of the brain cells to die and there's extensive damage. In this case, surgery to relieve the pressure often is the answer. This type of stroke occurs in about twelve percent of the stroke victims.

Subarachnoid hemorrhage, one of the three types of strokes occurs when blood vessels on the outside of the brain, between the skull and the brain, rupture. The blood loss and pressure from the accumulating blood causes damage to the brain. Normally these types of ruptures come from cerebral aneurysms, weakened sections that bulge out, on the arteries to the brain. Because the skull doesn't budge, the built up blood puts pressure on the soft tissue, the brain and the combination of lost blood and the pressure cause damage to the cerebral tissue. Subarachnoid hemorrhage strokes occur at any age. The aneurysm may even be present at birth. Women tend to be more prone to them than men do.

Three Types of Strokes Diagnosis and Treatment

It's important to determine the type of stroke the patient has. If they have a hemorrhagic stroke, the blood thinner used for an ischemic stroke makes the damage worse. First, a physical examination by a qualified physician is important. Simply listening to the sounds of the blood flowing through the two main arteries to the head, gives the doctor an indication of the type of stroke. If the physician hears an abnormal turbulent sound, it may be a bruit. This comes from clogged veins and is an indication of an ischemic stroke.

Doctors also check the blood for homocysteine, diabetes and cholesterol levels. Most hospitals immediately do a CT scan to determine whether the stroke is ischemic or hemorrhagic. They may inject dye into the cranial blood vessels to find arterial narrowing, aneurysms and malformations of the arteries. This is a CTA. Often, doctors use an MRI or MRA to not only locate the damage, but also estimate how much damage occurred.

In addition to the other tests, the doctors may use carotid ultrasonography to show how fast blood flows through the arteries in the neck and whether there's a blockage. Other tests include positron emission tomography, PET, to investigate the amount of brain cell metabolism, arteriography to investigate the interior of the blood vessels and other tests.

What You Can Do to Prevent a Stroke

The most important thing you can do to prevent a stroke is eliminate risk factors. If you smoke, quit. If you have an underlying condition such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease or even a genetic predisposition to a stroke, treat that condition and follow the doctor's recommendation. If you're overweight or have high cholesterol, change your diet. Eating the proper foods, getting exercise and reducing the risk factors will help lower the potential of a stroke or reduce the damage of any of the three types of strokes.

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