Visit the Know Stroke website to order materials and learn about stroke research ![]() NINDS Stroke Information for Seniors |
A stroke occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is suddenly interrupted or when a blood vessel in the brain bursts, spilling blood into the spaces surrounding brain cells. Brain cells die when they no longer receive oxygen and nutrients from the blood or there is sudden bleeding into or around the brain. The symptoms of a stroke include sudden numbness or weakness, especially on one side of the body; sudden confusion or trouble speaking or understanding speech; sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes; sudden trouble with walking, dizziness, or loss of balance or coordination; or sudden severe headache with no known cause. There are two forms of stroke: ischemic - blockage of a blood vessel supplying the brain, and hemorrhagic - bleeding into or around the brain.
Generally there are three treatment stages for stroke: prevention, therapy immediately after the stroke, and post-stroke rehabilitation.
Therapies to prevent a first or recurrent stroke are based on treating an individual's underlying risk factors for stroke,
such as hypertension, atrial fibrillation, and diabetes. Acute stroke therapies try to stop a stroke while it is happening
by quickly dissolving the blood clot causing an ischemic stroke or by stopping the bleeding of a hemorrhagic stroke. Post-stroke
rehabilitation helps individuals overcome disabilities that result from stroke damage. Medication or drug therapy is the most
common treatment for stroke. The most popular classes of drugs used to prevent or treat stroke are antithrombotics (antiplatelet
agents and anticoagulants) and thrombolytics.
Although stroke is a disease of the brain, it can affect the entire body. A common disability that results from stroke is
complete paralysis on one side of the body, called hemiplegia. A related disability that is not as debilitating as paralysis is one-sided weakness or hemiparesis. Stroke may cause problems with thinking, awareness, attention, learning, judgment, and memory. Stroke survivors often have
problems understanding or forming speech. A stroke can lead to emotional problems. Stroke patients may have difficulty controlling
their emotions or may express inappropriate emotions. Many stroke patients experience depression. Stroke survivors may also
have numbness or strange sensations. The pain is often worse in the hands and feet and is made worse by movement and temperature
changes, especially cold temperatures.
Recurrent stroke is frequent; about 25 percent of people who recover from their first stroke will have another stroke within
5 years.
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) conducts stroke research and clinical trials at its laboratories
and clinics at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and through grants to major medical institutions across the country.
Currently, NINDS researchers are studying the mechanisms of stroke risk factors and the process of brain damage that results
from stroke. Basic research has also focused on the genetics of stroke and stroke risk factors. Scientists are working to
develop new and better ways to help the brain repair itself to restore important functions. New advances in imaging and rehabilitation have shown that the brain can compensate for function lost as a result of stroke.
American Stroke Association:
A Division of American Heart Association 7272 Greenville Avenue Dallas, TX 75231-4596 strokeinfo@heart.org http://www.strokeassociation.org Tel: 1-888-4STROKE (478-7653) Fax: 214-706-5231 |
Brain Aneurysm Foundation 269 Hanover Street, Building 3 Hanover, MA 02339 office@bafound.org http://www.bafound.org Tel: 781-826-5556 888-BRAIN02 (272-4602) |
Brain Attack Coalition 31 Center Drive Room 8A07 Bethesda, MD 20892-2540 http://www.stroke-site.org Tel: 301-496-5751 Fax: 301-402-2186 |
National Stroke Association 9707 East Easter Lane Suite B Centennial, CO 80112-3747 info@stroke.org http://www.stroke.org Tel: 303-649-9299 800-STROKES (787-6537) Fax: 303-649-1328 |
National Aphasia Association 350 Seventh Avenue Suite 902 New York, NY 10001 naa@aphasia.org http://www.aphasia.org Tel: 212-267-2814 800-922-4NAA (4622) Fax: 212-267-2812 |
Children's Hemiplegia and Stroke Assocn. (CHASA) 4101 West Green Oaks Blvd., Ste. 305 PMB 149 Arlington, TX 76016 info437@chasa.org http://www.chasa.org Tel: 817-492-4325 |
Hazel K. Goddess Fund for Stroke Research in Women 1217 South Flagler Drive Suite 302 West Palm Beach, FL 33401 anne@thegoddessfund.org http://www.thegoddessfund.org Tel: 561-623-0504 |
Heart Rhythm Foundation 1400 K Street, NW Suite 500 Washington, DC 20005 support@heartrhythmfoundation.org http://www.heartrhythmfoundation.org Tel: 202-464-3454 Fax: 202-464-3405 |
American Health Assistance Foundation 22512 Gateway Center Drive Clarksburg, MD 20871 info@ahaf.org http://www.ahaf.org/alzheimers/ Tel: 301-948-3244 800-437-AHAF (2423) Fax: 301-258-9454 |
Fibromuscular Dysplasia Society of America (FMDSA) 20325 Center Ridge Road Suite 620 Rocky River, OH 44116 admin@fmdsa.org http://www.fmdsa.org/ Tel: 216-834-2410 888-709-7089 |
Prepared by:
Office of Communications and Public Liaison
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, MD 20892
NINDS health-related material is provided for information purposes only and does not necessarily represent endorsement by or an official position of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke or any other Federal agency. Advice on the treatment or care of an individual patient should be obtained through consultation with a physician who has examined that patient or is familiar with that patient's medical history.
All NINDS-prepared information is in the public domain and may be freely copied. Credit to the NINDS or the NIH is appreciated.
Last updated February 14, 2013