Stroke

A stroke is sometimes referred to as a “brain attack”.  A stroke occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is interrupted (ischemic stroke)  or when a blood vessel in the brain bursts, spilling blood into the spaces surrounding brain cells (hemorrhagic stroke).  Brain cells die when they no longer receive oxygen and nutrients from the blood or when there is sudden bleeding in or around the brain.   Symptoms of stroke include numbness or weakness usually on one side of the body, sudden confusion or trouble speaking or understanding speech, sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes, sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination, and sudden severe headache with no cause.  In event of a stroke, every moment is crucial.  The longer blood flow is cut off to the brain, the greater the damage.