What is a stroke
A stroke happens when the blood supply to part of your brain is cut off and causes damage to the brain. There are two types of stroke:
- The most common, known as an 'ischaemic stroke', is the result of reduced blood and oxygen to the brain due to a blood clot forming in an artery. Immediate treatment may include a clot-busting medicine to dissolve the blood clot. Other treatments include medication to reduce risk factors for further strokes.
- The other type of stroke, known as a 'haemorrhagic stroke', is when there is a bleed into the brain. This is treated differently and the outcome will depend on the severity of the bleed.
Who is affected by stroke?
Stroke is the largest cause of disability in the UK and the third most common cause of death, after heart disease and cancer. Each year around 120,000 people in the UK have a first stroke and about 30,000 have a recurrent stroke. Most cases occur in people aged over 65, and each year about 1 in 100 people over the age of 75 will have a stroke.
Outcomes of a head injury
The consequences of head injurys range in seriousness from minor concussion to severe injurys that result in coma or a minimally conscious state and / or prove fatal. No two head injurys are the same and how someone is affected will depend on which part of the brain has been injured and how widespread and / or permanent the damage is.