Stroke leading to a Brain Injury

A Stroke is a disruption of blood supply to part of the brain that leads to a brain injury.  There are two types of Stroke: Ischemic and Haemorrhagic.

What are the symptoms of a Stroke?

You often hear the expression ‘FAST’ used as an acronym for the symptoms of a Stroke.

F – face –  Part of the face starts to droop, making it difficult to smile.

A – arms – The person is unable to fully lift their arms.

S – speech – The person has difficulties with speech, which becomes slurred.

T – time –  It is time to call 999 and must be taken to hospital immediately.

Other symptoms that may occur are a sudden headache, confusion, dizziness, problems with communication or problems with vision.

How does a Stroke lead to a Brain Injury

As seen in the picture above there are a network of blood vessels that pump oxygen rich blood around the brain.  This oxygen keeps the brain cells working and if this blood flow is disrupted by either a blood clot (Ischemic Stroke) or a burst blood vessel (Haemorrhagic Stroke), the brain cells are starved of oxygen and they begin to die.  This would lead to a brain injury.

You may have heard of the term TIA which means Transient Ischemic Attack – these are mini strokes which occur when there is a temporary disruption to the blood supply to the brain due to a blocked blood vessel.  The symptoms of a TIA are the same as a Stroke, but they only last for a few minutes or hours.  Medical attention should be sought as soon as possible.

If you would like more information visit The Stroke Association web site.