Causes of a stroke

 

    Quick guide (temp version for review only)

    This activity explores the knowledge and skills required by health and social care staff to understand the causes of stroke. NB: This module has undergone a full content review and update March 2021 Learning Points: Explain what a stroke is State the causes of stroke Describe the relationship between the area of the brain affected by the stroke and the extent of the damage

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Causes of a stroke

 

    Common symptoms

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  • Common symptoms include: Slurred speech or difficulty finding some words Loss of, or disturbed vision in one or both eyes Weakness, numbness, clumsiness or pins and needles on one side of the body e.g. arm or leg. This may also be seen on the person’s face by the appearance of a drooping mouth. Think FAST Face Can they smile or is one side of the mouth or eye drooping? Arm (weakness) Can the person raise both arms? Is one weak? Speech Is their speech slurred or muddled? Time to call 999

 

 

Causes of a stroke

 

    What is a TIA?

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  • A Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA) is often referred to as a “mini stroke”. The symptoms are very similar to those of a stroke but the difference is that they resolve completely.
  • A TIA can last for minutes to hours, but not longer than 24 hours. If the symptoms persist for longer than 24 hours then the event is called a stroke.
  • TIAs are caused by the blood supply to the brain being interrupted for a short period of time only.
  • TIAs are an important warning sign that all is not well with the blood supply to the brain. The risk of suffering a stroke within the first month after a TIA is around 12 %, with about half of all strokes occurring within the first 24 hours following TIA.

 

 

Causes of a stroke

 

    Brain anatomy

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  • The right side of the brain controls the left side of the body and vice versa (see picture right) Therefore, a stroke which occurs in the right side of the brain will usually affect the left side of the body When describing a stroke one should always specify that the stroke has affected the left or the right side of the brain OR state which side the signs/symptoms are on. Simply saying that a person has a right sided or left sided stroke is uninformative, since it is unclear whether you are referring to the side of the symptoms or the brain lesion which caused them.

 

 

Causes of a stroke

 

    Areas and functions

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  • The brain is divided into several areas/lobes each responsible for carrying out different functions. Click on the picture below to learn more about these. Instructions for navigating the diagram- once you have read the text click on the side arrow to return the main diagram

 

 

Causes of a stroke

 

    What causes a stroke?

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  • There are 2 main types of stroke, listed below. Follow the navigation buttons for more information. Ischaemic stroke Haemorrhagic stroke

 

 

Causes of a stroke

 

    Ischaemic stroke

    back

  • A Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA) is often referred to as a “mini stroke”. The symptoms are very similar to those of a stroke but the difference is that they resolve completely.
  • A TIA can last for minutes to hours, but not longer than 24 hours. If the symptoms persist for longer than 24 hours then the event is called a stroke.
  • TIAs are caused by the blood supply to the brain being interrupted for a short period of time only.
  • TIAs are an important warning sign that all is not well with the blood supply to the brain. The risk of suffering a stroke within the first month after a TIA is around 12 %, with about half of all strokes occurring within the first 24 hours following TIA.

 

 

Causes of a stroke

 

    Haemorrhagic stroke

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  • Haemorrhagic strokes occur when a blood vessel in the brain ruptures and bleeds. When an artery bleeds into the brain, brain cells do not receive oxygen and nutrients. In addition, pressure builds up in surrounding tissues and swelling occurs causing further cell death Haemorrhages can be caused by a number of disorders which affect the blood vessels, including long-standing high blood pressure and cerebral aneurysms. An aneurysm is a weak or thin spot on a blood vessel wall. Aneurysms develop over a number of years and usually don’t cause detectable problems until they burst About 15% of strokes are caused by haemorrhage (RCP: National clinical guideline for stroke (2016)) .