ABSTRACT
Stroke is a major cause of disability. It consists of group of disorders where sudden loss of cerebral blood flow to an area of the brain causes neurological deficit lasting more than 24 hours.
Subtypes of stroke:
1. Ischaemic (80%) A. Thrombotic: from within intracerebral arteries, ulcerated plaque at
carotid artery bifurcation, prothrombotic states like sickle cell anaemia, protein C deficiency and polycythaemia
B. Embolic: from extracranial arteries or from heart, e.g. atrial fibrillation, prosthetic heart valves, endocarditis
2. Haemorrhagic 3. Subarachnoid haemorrhage 4. In young persons, substance misuse, vasculitis and carotid artery dissec-
tion should be suspected
Risk factors
1. Advancing age 2. Smoking 3. Coronary artery disease 4. Hypertension 5. Hypercholesterolaemia 6. Atrial fibrillation
Clinical features The signs and symptoms depend on the area of brain affected.They may be a combination of monoparesis, hemiparesis, aphasia, dysarthria, visual field defects and ataxia.
