The 4 Types of Stroke (symptoms and causes)

This type of stroke can kill many nerve cells in seconds.

Strokes are the leading cause of constitute the first cause of death by disease in women and the second in men in and the second in men in the whole of Spain, with between 150 and 250 per 100,000 inhabitants in just one year. Furthermore, 24.7% of people who suffer a stroke end up with some kind of disability.

Fortunately, there are means and treatments that can drastically moderate the damage caused by these strokes, but to do so it is necessary to identify the type of stroke that can be treated. However, it is necessary to identify which type of stroke the person has suffered, since each type of stroke is different from the others.Each one of them is characterized by different causes and consequences.

What is a stroke?

Stroke is a disturbance of Blood flow to the brain. When this occurs the brain stops receiving the oxygen it needs to function properly, and the areas of the brain that are affected begin to die. and the areas of the brain that are affected begin to die.

The effects caused by this type of accident can be disastrous for the person, affecting the whole body. These consequences can range from vision problems in different degrees, speech disturbances, cognitive deficits or motor problemsto bodily paralysis also to varying degrees.

Strokes also form part of a broad category of alterations in the functioning of the brain, such as cerebrovascular accident, cerebral accident, apoplexy, cerebral attack or cerebral infarction.

Types of stroke

There are two main distinctions within strokes. One of them is the ischemic stroke, which causes 80% of strokes, while the remaining strokes are caused by the so-called hemorrhagic stroke.

Ischemic stroke

Ischemic stroke is the most common type of stroke. It is caused by the formation or arrival of a blood clot which blocks or interferes with the flow of a blood vessel in the brain, interrupting blood flow to the brain.

Within minutes the brain cells begin to die lack of oxygen and nutrients, causing any of the consequences listed above.

Symptoms that a person is suffering an ischemic stroke are:

• Weakness or numbness of the face, arm or leg.
• Confusion and problems with speech or understanding.
• Sudden vision problems
• Sudden severe headaches with no apparent cause

There are also transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), There are also transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), also known as mini-strokes.also known as mini-strokes. Transient ischemic attacks are characterized by symptoms similar to those of ischemic stroke, but without the lingering effects of ischemic stroke. Suffering one of these attacks can be a prelude to a more serious ischemic attack, so it is of utmost importance to know how to identify it correctly.

Ischemic strokes can also be divided into two subgroups and categories: thrombotic strokes and embolic strokes.

Thrombotic stroke

Thrombotic strokes are strokes caused by a blood clot called a thrombus, which originates in the arteries that supply blood to the brain.

Usually, the symptoms of this type of stroke appear suddenly, especially during sleeping hours or in the morning. However, at other times the symptoms occur gradually over hours or days, in which case it is designated as an evolving stroke.

This subclass of stroke is common in people who are elderly, have high cholesterol levels and have arteriosclerosis.

Embolic stroke

Unlike thrombotic stroke, embolic strokes are the result of an embolus. An embolus is a blood clot that originates anywhere in the body and is transported to the brain by the bloodstream.

These attacks can also appear suddenly and are characteristic of people with heart disease. in people who suffer from heart disease or have undergone or have undergone some type of heart surgery.

2. Hemorrhagic stroke

Being the least common subtype of accident, hemorrhagic stroke is caused by the fracture or tearing of a blood vessel, with the consequent bleeding inside the brain and the destruction of brain cells.

This type of hemorrhagic stroke usually occurs in people with high blood pressure, which strains the arterial walls until they rupture.

Also, another fairly common cause is the so-called aneurysm, a fragile spot in the arteries of the brain.This is a fragile point in the arterial walls that arches, due to the pressure with which the blood circulates, until it finally ruptures and causes the effusion. These aneurysms can be congenital and present from birth, or due to alterations such as hypertension or arteriosclerosis.

The symptoms of a stroke appear suddenly. These symptoms include:

• Muscle weakness and/or numbness in one part of the body.
• Vision problems
• Speech difficulties
• Agnosia
• Sudden headaches of no known origin
• Sensation of vertigo
• Fainting and dizziness
• Coordination problems
• Swallowing difficulties
• Drowsiness

Like ischemic stroke, there are two subtypes of hemorrhagic stroke, there are two subtypes of hemorrhagic strokes: intracerebral hemorrhagic and subcerebral hemorrhagic.Intracerebral hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Intracerebral hemorrhage

Intracerebral hemorrhage consists of bleeding from veins or arteries inside the brain.. As a general rule, the bleeding originates suddenly and evolves very rapidly, without producing any warning signs and is so severe that it can lead to coma or even death.

The most common cause of this type of intracerebral hemorrhage is hypertension, i.e. high blood pressure.

Subarachnoid hemorrhage

In this type of hemorrhage the effusion or bleeding is located in the subarachnoid space.. This is between the brain and the membranes that cover them, called meninges. The main causes of these strokes are two:

• Existence or occurrence of an aneurysm.
• Arteriovenous malformations (AVM). These malformations are part of a congenital alteration which causes the appearance of tangled webs and networks of veins and arteries.