Reasons for Stroke

A stroke happens mainly for two reasons: Vascular occlusion in the brain and cerebral hemorrhage. While the reason for the %80 of strokes is vascular occlusion, the reason for the %20 is cerebral hemorrhages.

Stroke Due to Cerebral Hemorrhage

Cerebral Hemorrhage is the flood of blood inside the brain by tearing the blood vessels within the brain tissue. The reason that leads to hemorrhage can result from trauma (traffic accident, fall from height, damage to the head), hypertension, or vascular congenital abnormalities. Skull, protects the brain tissue but also keeps the internal pressure stable. Therefore hemorrhage inside the skull pressures the brain tissue and this causes damage to the brain tissue.

Stroke Due to Vascular Occlusion

Strokes can also result from occlusion in the vessels that supply the brain. These types of strokes are named ischemic, thrombotic strokes. The word “ischemic” means “stop of blood” that leads to any tissue. Even though the reasons are quite different the result is the narrowing of the vein to the extent that blood will not pass through. The brain that is deprived of blood is damaged because of this situation. Thrombotic strokes or strokes due to embolism can be given as examples of strokes that result from vascular occlusion.

2. What are the factors that increase the risk of stroke?

Strokes are a big public health problem. In Turkey every year 250,000 new stroke cases are observed while it is estimated that there are two million people that live with paralysis resulting from strokes. Yet a big portion of these strokes results from the reasons that lead to preventable strokes. Therefore it is very important to know the situations that pose the risk of stroke and manage those situations.

Most common situations that lead to the risk of stroke:

• Hypertension
• High Cholesterol
• Abnormalities of the Vascular Structure
• Brain Aneurysms
• Tumors
• Cardiac Arrest, Heart Attack
• Heart Arrhythmia