Question:

What are the main types of stroke?

Answer:

From: Understanding Brain Attack: A Closer Look at Stroke

A stroke, often referred to as a “brain attack,” is a serious medical condition that occurs when the blood supply to the brain is either interrupted due to blockage of a blood vessel and part of the brain dies, or a blood vessel rupture vessels causing bleeding into or around the brain. Patients experiencing a brain attack can be affected in a number of ways, including paralysis, loss of speech, loss of vision, loss of memory, and even death.

About 80 percent of all strokes are caused by blockage of blood flow to the brain by a combination of plaque (fatty deposits and calcium) and blood clots. Without the blood flow supplied by those blocked vessels, the brain has no oxygen and will die.

Another kind of stroke, called a bleeding stroke, happens in about 20 percent of strokes when a weakened blood vessel breaks, causing bleeding and swelling. The most common causes of a bleeding stroke are cerebral aneurysm, when a weakened blood vessel balloons out and then breaks, or poorly treated high blood pressure

For more information:

Go to the Stroke health topic.