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Summary
A stroke is a medical emergency. Strokes happen when blood flow to your brain stops. Within minutes, brain cells begin to die. There are two kinds of stroke. The more common kind, called ischemic stroke, is caused by a blood clot that blocks or plugs a blood vessel in the brain. The other kind, called hemorrhagic stroke, is caused by a blood vessel that breaks and bleeds into the brain. "Mini-strokes" or transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), occur when the blood supply to the brain is briefly interrupted.
Symptoms of stroke are
- Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg (especially on one side of the body)
- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding speech
- Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
- Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
- Sudden severe headache with no known cause
If you have any of these symptoms, you must get to a hospital quickly to begin treatment. Acute stroke therapies try to stop a stroke while it is happening by quickly dissolving the blood clot or by stopping the bleeding. Post-stroke rehabilitation helps individuals overcome disabilities that result from stroke damage. Drug therapy with blood thinners is the most common treatment for stroke.
NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Symptoms
-
Can You Recognize a Heart Attack or Stroke? What To Do When Every Moment Counts
(National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
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Stroke Risk Factors and Symptoms
(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) Also in Spanish
- Stroke Symptoms and Diagnosis (Beyond the Basics) (UpToDate)
Diagnosis and Tests
- Carotid Ultrasound Imaging (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
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Catheter Angiography
(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
- Cranial Ultrasound/Head Ultrasound (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
- CT Perfusion of the Head (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
- How a Stroke Is Diagnosed (Washington University, School of Medicine)
- hs-CRP Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
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Lipoprotein (a) Blood Test
(National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
- Magnetic Resonance, Functional (fMRI) -- Brain (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - PDF Also in Spanish
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What Are the Warning Signs of Stroke?
(American Heart Association) - PDF
Prevention and Risk Factors
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Aspirin to Prevent a First Heart Attack or Stroke
(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
- Before Using Aspirin to Lower Your Risk of Heart Attack or Stroke, Here Is What You Should Know (Food and Drug Administration)
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Brain Basics: Preventing Stroke
(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) Also in Spanish
- Let's Talk about Lifestyle Changes to Prevent Stroke (American Heart Association) - PDF
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Mind Your Risks
(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
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Talk with Your Doctor about Taking Aspirin Every Day
(Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion) Also in Spanish
Treatments and Therapies
- Meditation and Heart Health (American Heart Association)
- Stroke Treatments (American Heart Association, American Stroke Association)
- Stroke: First Aid (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
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What Are Some Common Outcomes of Stroke and Some Common Treatments for These Outcomes?
(National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish
Living With
- Stroke Prevention & Treatment: Diet & Nutrition (Cleveland Clinic Foundation)
Related Issues
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Agnosia
(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
- Atherosclerosis and Stroke (American Stroke Association)
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Diabetes, Heart Disease, and Stroke
(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
- Heart Disease, Stroke, or Other Cardiovascular Disease and Adult Vaccination (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
- High Blood Pressure, Afib and Your Risk of Stroke (American Heart Association)
- Let's Talk about High Blood Pressure and Stroke (American Heart Association)
- Sleep Apnea and Heart Disease, Stroke (American Heart Association)
Specifics
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Hemorrhagic Stroke: MedlinePlus Health Topic
(National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
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Ischemic Stroke: MedlinePlus Health Topic
(National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
-
Spinal Cord Infarction
(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
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Wallenberg's Syndrome
(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
Genetics
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Genetics Home Reference: cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy
(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes
(National Library of Medicine)
Images
- Craniotomy - slideshow (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Health Check Tools
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Test Your Stroke Knowledge
(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
- What's Your Stroke I.Q.? (American Heart Association)
Videos and Tutorials
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Know Stroke: Know the Signs, Act in Time Video
(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
Statistics and Research
- FastStats: Cerebrovascular Disease or Stroke (National Center for Health Statistics)
- Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics (American Heart Association)
- Interactive Atlas of Heart Disease and Stroke (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Preventing Stroke Deaths (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
- Progress has Stalled in U.S. Stroke Death Rates after Decades of Decline (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Stroke Facts: Stroke Statistics (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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Surgery May Help More People After Stroke
(National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Carotid Stenosis
(National Institutes of Health)
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Cerebrovascular Disorders
(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Endarterectomy, Carotid
(National Institutes of Health)
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Stroke
(National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Effectiveness of neuromuscular electrical stimulation therapy in patients with urinary...
- Article: Genetic polymorphisms of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase C677T and risk of ischemic...
- Article: Effect of sertraline in the treatment and prevention of poststroke...
- Stroke -- see more articles
- Stroke prevention -- see more articles
Reference Desk
- Heart and Stroke Encyclopedia (American Heart Association)
- Stroke Connection Magazine (American Stroke Association)
Find an Expert
- American Heart Association
- American Stroke Association
- Find a Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Physician (American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation)
-
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Also in Spanish
Children
- Pediatric Stroke (Washington University, School of Medicine)
- Stroke (For Kids) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Strokes (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Women
- Heart Disease and Stroke (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health)
- Hidden Risk Factors for Women (American Stroke Association)
- Stroke Fact Sheet (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health) Also in Spanish
Seniors
- Stroke: Unique to Older Adults (AGS Foundation for Health in Aging)
Patient Handouts
- EEG (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Preventing stroke (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Stroke (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Stroke - discharge (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish