Stroke Essay

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Stroke
Stroke is a commonly known disease that is often fatal. This cellular disease occurs when blood flow to the brain is interrupted by either a blood clot halting the progress of blood cells in an artery, called an Ischemic stroke, or a blood vessel in the brain bursting or leaking causing internal bleeding in the brain, called a hemorrhagic stroke. When this happens, brain cells are deprived of oxygen and nutrients because the blood cells carrying these essential things are stopped, causing them to die. When the cells in the brain die, sensation or movement in a limb might be cut off and may limit an organism’s abilities. A person with stroke is affected depending on where in the brain the stroke occurs. In other words, symptoms of a stroke …show more content…

I realized it was a stroke,” –Fred, a stroke survivor. Some of the most common symptoms indicating that a stroke is occurring include sudden numbness or loss of movement in the limbs on one side of your body or face, sudden vision changes, sudden trouble speaking, sudden confusion, a very intense headache, or sudden balance issues. Stroke is simply acquired when the blood supply to the brain is suspended, but to get to the roots of what causes it, a stroke is triggered by the slowly forming plaque buildup over time. The plaque is made up of calcium, fat, cholesterol, cellular waste, and fibrin, a material involved in blood clotting. The plaque existing in an artery can grow big enough to block the supply of blood to the brain, resulting in a stroke. A stroke can also be caused by high blood pressure breaking a blood vessel in the brain causing internal bleeding. Although there is no cure, as damage the brain is usually irreversible if not cared for quickly; there are different treatments available for both types of stroke. For an ischemic stroke, a tissue called plasminogen activator can be injected into an artery to break up …show more content…

The animals that stroke primarily affects are humans. This is likely caused by risk factors that humans attain, such as cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, high blood cholesterol, a poor diet, stroke occurring in ancestors, and physical activity/obesity. Stroke has is also starting to become recognized in cats, dogs, and rabbits. According to the World Health Organization, 15 million people suffer from a stroke worldwide every year. Of the people diagnosed, 5 million die and 5 million are permanently disabled. In the United States, 795,000 suffer from stroke annually. 85 percent of the diagnosed strokes are ischemic and 15 percent of them are hemorrhagic As for the humans diagnosed, three fourths of the people that suffer from a stroke are elderly (over the age of 65). This is caused by raising cholesterol levels and the narrowing of arteries as someone ages. Ethnicity, as well as age can also affect a person’s risk to fall victim to a stroke. Africans have a much higher risk of death from a stroke than Caucasians do. This is partly because blacks have greater risks of high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity. Research suggests Africans may carry a gene that makes them more salt sensitive, inevitably increasing the risk of high blood pressure. Fortunately, research is still being done to prevent stroke. Rats and mice are primary animal subjects for studying this deadly

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