The Origins of a Stroke
When someone experiences a stroke they are feeling the effects of the blood supply to the brain being disrupted. Oxygen and glucose are unable to get to a certain part of the brain when this blood flow is blocked. There are a number of reasons for this to happen and this article will tell you what causes a stroke. A lacunar stoke is when a small artery in the brain becomes too narrow for blood to flow through. The result is the tissue in that tiny area of the brain will then die.
In the brain, there are four main blood vessels that that supply the brain with what it needs. Hardening of these arteries is called atherosclerosis and this hardening can cause lack of blood supply also. These carotid arteries supply the anterior circulation of the brain and this is where your speech and emotional activity is located. This area also has your motor controls, sensation and activity. The brainstem and the cerebellum is supplied by the posterior circulation. Here are where the automatic parts of brain function and coordination is. If any of these arteries are narrowed because of plaque or cholesterol, minute debris can come loose and travel in the blood supply until it lodges somewhere and causes a blockage. If this blockage effects a large part of the brain, then this stroke will show more symptoms than a lacunar stroke.
The most common condition of what causes a stroke is a blockage of an artery and this is called thrombosis. Which ever part of the brain is then lacking circulation will then have little or no oxygen filled blood going to that area. Without this blood and oxygen, the cells in that area will die. Generally, this blockage happens when a blood vessel has become narrowed by one or more of the following risk factors: Smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol. Another type of stroke can happen when a blood clot is involved. This is called an embolic stroke and is also a blockage but it is a blood clot that is the block. A blood clot can be in another part of the body, break off and travel through the blood vessels until it stops somewhere. This type of blockage can take place in a large or small artery in the brain. All strokes are seen as a medical emergency so if you or someone you know shows signs of a stroke, go immediately to the emergency room.
