Stroke can be categorized into several different groups. These groups are more commonly known as the types of stroke. By listing this serious topic, it becomes simpler to follow the symptoms and the disease itself. The different types of stroke include ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, and watershed strokes. There is also another type most commonly referred to as a mini-stroke or transient ischemic attack. Stroke can be defined as a disease characterized by improper perfusion of blood to the brain. Each type is separated by how it causes the improper perfusion. Instinctively, several of these methods can be thought of through the vasculature. The methods that come to mind may include clotting, vessel ruptures, or a clot far from the brain. These methods can all be considered correct.
Ischemic strokes can be characterized by clots and occlusion in a blood vessel of the brain. The clots are mostly caused by atherosclerosis or constant fatty acid deposits. When the clots form they can cause an occlusion in the vessel which disrupts perfusion of blood to that part of the brain. Clots themselves are specific since they can form into a thrombus or an embolism. Think of a thrombus as a clot in the vessel while an embolism is a broken piece of a clot that moves. Embolisms are particularly dangerous since they can stop in the brain or anywhere else in the body through the circulation. Most cases of stroke are ischemic strokes. Hemorrhagic strokes represent blood vessel ruptures. In the brain, high blood pressure can cause swelling of the blood vessels. If the vessels swell far enough they can burst causing hemorrhage. The ruptured vessel no longer works properly and perfusion of blood has been disrupted. These swollen blood vessels are called aneurysms while others are referred to as arteriovenous malformations. Hemorrhage is common in two regions intracerebral or in the subarachnoid space. Watershed strokes are caused by improper perfusion to the brain caused by occlusion far away from the brain. Most often a clot forms in the carotid artery in the neck. The blood would consequently not be able to reach the farther ends of the brain due to lack in pressure.
A transient ischemic attack is commonly referred to as a mini-stroke. These types of stroke are called mini because they are related to ischemic strokes. Like in an ischemic stroke, a TIA is caused by a clot formed in a vessel of the brain which causes occlusion. The difference between these strokes is the time length. A TIA only last a couple of minutes because the clot has been removed and the occlusion stopped. Fortunately, TIA's don't leave permanent damage to the brain.
Although there are several different types of stroke, the symptoms appear similar across the board. Symptoms such as confusion, dizziness, loss of balance, trouble walking, problems speaking, vision problems, and numbness in the face are common in all strokes. Stroke is a serious condition that should not be taken lightly. Knowledge of the types of strokes can assist with a faster diagnosis and faster treatment to the patient.
Sources
Thank you for posting this. I feel that most of the papers that we read about stroke did not really address what exactly the type of stroke they are studying is. This really cleared some of that up for me. But it made me wonder, can some of these stroke types occur simultaneously? Perhaps one leading to another?
ReplyDeleteI do think these types of strokes can occur simultaneously. If a person is unhealthy enough they could have an occlusion in the vessels of the brain and they could have a traveling embolism. This is just based off of assumption but I'll look into the research and more info on these cases.
ReplyDelete