Types Of Stroke

The stroke is a sudden interruption or reduction in the blood supply to the brain. The most common reasons of stroke are the blockage of the arteries leading to the brain, bleeding into the brain tissue due to bursting of the blood vessel. The stroke is also called as the brain attack. There are several types of stroke caused due to various reasons.

The two main types of stroke are the ischemic stroke and the hemorrhagic stroke. The ischemic stroke is caused due to too little blood in the brain, while the hemorrhagic stroke results from too much blood within the skull.

Ischemic stroke

It is the most commonly observed type of stroke. It results from the blockage of the arteries leading to the brain due to the clots or other particles. It causes extremely reduced blood flow in the brain. This condition is referred as the ischemia. There is inadequate supply of oxygen and nutrients to the brain cells. It causes the death of the cells.

The common types of ischemic strokes are thrombotic stroke, embolic stroke and systemic hypoperfusion or watershed stroke. The thrombotic stroke is caused due to formation of a blood clot/thrombus in one of the arteries supplying blood to the brain. The clot is generally formed in the area which is damaged by the atherosclerosis. It can occur within one or two carotid arteries of the neck that carry the blood to brain. Other reason for the ischemic stroke is the plaques that cause clogging or narrowing of the artery.

The embolic stroke is originated from the blood clot that is formed in the blood vessel commonly in the heart and lodges in the narrow brain arteries through bloodstream. This kind of blood clot is called as the embolus. It results from the irregular beating of heart's upper two chambers.

The systemic hypoperfusion or watershed stroke is caused due to the reduction of blood flow to all body parts. All parts of brain, particularly the watershed areas of brain are affected.

Hemorrhagic stroke

The hemorrhagic stroke is caused due to rupturing of the blood vessel. The reasons for rupturing the blood vessels are uncontrolled high blood pressure/hypertension and weak spots in the blood vessels wall/aneurysms. There are two types of hemorrhagic stroke such as the intracerebral hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhage.

In the intracerebral hemorrhage, the blood vessel in the brain bursts and the blood spread into the surrounding brain tissue. It damages the brain cells. The most common reason for the intracerebral hemorrhage is the high blood pressure.

In the subarachnoid hemorrhage, the bleeding starts in the large artery near the brain membrane and spills into the spaces between the surface of the brain and the skull. The most common symptom is sudden, thunderclap headache.

Recommended Reading:

1. Ischemic Stroke - The two types of strokes are the Ischemic stroke occurs due to blockage of a blood vessel; the other hemorrhagic...
2. Stroke - Stroke affects the blood vessels that supply blood to the brain. It occurs when the blood vessel bursts or is...
3. Watershed Stroke - The stroke or cerebrovascular accident involves a rapid loss of the brain function due to the interruption in the blood...
4. Stroke Treatment - Stroke is death of brain cells because of insufficient blood supply to brain cells due to blockage or bleeding in...
5. Stroke Awareness - When brain cells are damaged or dead because of lack of oxygen and nutrients, it is called stroke. Stroke can...