scotPHO introduction:
  Allergic conditions
  Cancer
  CHD
  Diabetes
  Disability
  Epilepsy
  Hepatitis C
  Immunisations
  Infections
  Mental Health
  Multiple Sclerosis
  Oral Health
  Stroke
  Key points
Introduction
  Risk factors
  Policy context
  Data
  Key data sources
  Key references
  Useful links
  Suicide
Text Only  |  Text Size: A |  A+ |  A++

Stroke: introduction

 

What is a stroke?

A stroke is caused when the flow of blood to the brain is interrupted for 24 hours or more. This can be due to either a blood clot (ischaemic - around 85% of strokes) or a burst blood vessel (haemorrhagic - around 15% of strokes).  The interruption to blood flow means that brain cells are deprived of oxygen and can become damaged or die. The symptoms experienced after a stroke will depend on:

  • which area of the brain is affected,
  • which side of the brain is affected,
  • the extent of the damage. 

Whichever side of the brain is damaged, it is the opposite side of the body which is affected.  However, as the left side of the brain holds the language centre, speech problems are more common if the right side of the body is affected. Both sides of the brain control movement, sensation and sight, so these can be affected whichever side of the brain is damaged.

Definitions

Strictly speaking, stroke, also known as cerebrovascular accident (CVA), comprises non-traumatic intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral infarction. CVA is a subset of the wider category cerebrovascular disease (CVD), which also includes sub-arachnoid haemorrhage and transient ischaemic attack. Most 'stroke' statistics in this section relate to CVD in general. 

Importance of stroke

Stroke is one of Scotland’s major causes of death and of disability.  It is the third most common cause of mortality in Scotland, and caused 5,801 deaths in 2005.  An estimated 15,000 people suffer their first stroke each year, and of these, around 75% are over 65 years old.