Understanding the Various Stroke Causes

Naturally, a stroke occurs in the brain. Sometimes, people refer to it as brain attack. However, stroke is essentially a type of cardiovascular disease. Stroke occurs when there is abnormality of blood in the brain. For instance, an ischemic stroke can be caused by too little blood while a hemorrhagic stroke can be caused by too much blood.

Types of Stroke Causes
There are basically two kinds of strokes – the ischemic and the hemorrhagic stroke. These are triggered by different factors. Essentially, there are only two stroke causes. There are – artery blockage and rupture of an artery.

Artery blockage could take the form of a clogged artery, hardened artery and brain embolism. Artery blockage results in ischemic stroke. Ischemic strokes occur when there are blood clots in the brain. This caused severe reduction in the brain's blood flow. The brain cells are then deprived of oxygen and they would begin to disintegrate or die with minutes.

On the other hand, a rupture artery could take the form of a cerebral haemorrhage or a subarachnoid haemorrhage. A ruptured artery results to hemorrhagic stroke. Hemorrhagic basically means bleeding. This happens when a brain blood vessel leaks or ruptures. This type of stroke can be attributed to hypertension, aneurysms and sometimes, arteriovenous malformation.

Stroke Information – Factors Contributing to Risk
There are a lot of factors that contribute to the treatment for stroke. The same factors could also risk the chances of developing heart diseases. Some of these factors include:

a. Genetics or family history. This is primarily the number one cause of stroke. The risk is higher if a parent or a sibling has a history of this disease.

"My mother had a slight stroke, am I at risk?" Yes. Genetics is a risk factor for both mild and debilitating stroke. You are also at risk if one of your parents or siblings had a history of TIA.

b. Age. Your risk of getting a stroke is increased as you grow older. This is especially true among middle-aged individuals and older individuals. The body cannot pump out blood the way it used to. You could say that the wear and tear have taken their toll on your body. This is why older people are encouraged to have good eating habits.

c. Sex. Stroke is a bad news for men. Men are at greater risk of getting a stroke than women.

d. Race. African Americans or Blacks are at greater risk of developing a stroke than other races. There is no exact reason for this. However, it is a advisable to be aware of the risk if you are an African American.

e. Hypertension or high blood pressure. Often, this is the major cause of stroke. Hypertension weakens the brain's blood vessels, leaving your brain vulnerable to haemorrhage or atherosclerosis. To avoid stroke, you should have a healthy diet and regular exercise.

f. Bad cholesterol. Too much low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in your diet increases your risk of getting a stroke. Limit your consumption of bad LDLs.

g. Cardiovascular diseases. Heart diseases may cause embolic clots which could found their way to your brain.

There are still many factors that could cause stroke. Essentially, however, if you would like to avoid stroke, you should live a healthy life.