Stroke

What is Stroke?

A stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is interrupted or severely limited, cutting off oxygen and nutrients from brain tissue. Brain cells start dying within minutes after a stroke. Strokes are also called brain attacks, as opposed to heart attacks where blood stops flowing to the heart. There are two major types of stroke: ischaemic and haemhorragic. An ischaemic stroke occurs as a result of an obstruction within a blood vessel supplying blood to the brain, whereas a haemhorragic occurs when a weakened blood vessel ruptures. Mini-strokes, also called Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA) are caused by a temporary blood clot and should be taken very seriously as they may lead to a full-blown stroke, if left untreated.