Your brain requires a constant flow of oxygen-rich blood to function properly. If blood flow is interrupted – even for a few minutes – brain cells begin to die. During a stroke, thousands of brain cells die every second due to blood supply problems. A lack of blood supply can affect your ability to speak, swallow, remember and move.

The good news is that the timing of stroke treatment can make all the difference in the outcome. If proper stroke treatment is administered quickly, damage to the brain can be minimized. That’s why we offer prompt, comprehensive stroke treatment – so you can recover quickly and get back to living your best life.

It’s important to be aware of the signs and symptoms of stroke. If you or a loved one is experiencing any of the stroke symptoms below, call 9-1-1 and seek immediate medical attention. Every second counts.

To remember the symptoms of a stroke, B.E. F.A.S.T.:

B = Balance (Do you have sudden loss of balance or coordination?)
E = Eyes (Is your vision blurred? Do you have double vision or sudden trouble seeing out of one or both eyes?)
F = Face (Can you smile? Does one side of the face sag or droop?)
A = Arms (Can you raise both arms? Or does one arm drift downward?)
S = Speech (Is your speech slurred or strange-sounding? Can you repeat a single sentence?)
T = Terrible headache (Sudden onset of a terrible headache or “the worst headache of your life”)

Causes of Stroke

Most strokes are caused by a blocked blood vessel in the brain, but they can also happen when a blood vessel begins leaking or bursts. Additionally, a stroke can be caused by blood clots that block blood vessels in the brain, or clots that form elsewhere in the body and travel through your bloodstream to the brain.

Conditions that increase your chance of stroke include:

• Aneurysms
• Atrial fibrillation
• Brain vascular malformation 
• Intracranial atherosclerosis disease (ICAD)
• Metabolic syndrome

Types of Stroke and Stroke-Related Conditions

There are several different types of stroke, as well as other conditions that affect the brain and its blood vessels. These conditions can cause stroke-like symptoms. Known as cerebrovascular conditions, they include things like brain aneurysm and hemorrhage.

Types of stroke we treat include:

• Ischemic stroke, where a blood vessel to the brain becomes blocked
• Hemorrhagic stroke, where a blood vessel starts to leak or burst
• Thrombotic stroke, where a blood clot blocks a blood vessel in the brain
• Embolic stroke, where a blood clot forms elsewhere in the body and travels to the brain

Types of cerebrovascular conditions we treat include:

• Aphasia, the loss of speech
• Basilar Artery Thrombosis, a blockage in the brain’s basil artery system [link]
• Carotid Disease and Dissection, where plaque builds up and causes blockages in the arteries in your neck
• Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA), a “mini-stroke” or temporary blockage of blood to the brain

Didn’t see your condition? See more stroke and cerebrovascular conditions we treat:

Risk Factors for Stroke

Certain characteristics and lifestyle choices can increase your risk of stroke. For instance, more than half of strokes are caused by uncontrolled high blood pressure.

Risk factors of stroke you can control include:

• Diabetes
• Heart disease
• High cholesterol
• Hypertension/high blood pressure
• Smoking

Risk factors of stroke you can’t control include:

• Age: The risk of having a stroke doubles every 10 years after age 55.
• Gender: Women are more likely to have strokes than men and are more likely to die after having a stroke.
• Personal or family history of stroke: Genetic factors may contribute to your risk of stroke. 
• Personal history of heart attack
• Race: People of African descent are twice as likely as Caucasians to have a stroke. Hispanics, American Indians and Alaskan natives are also more likely than non-Hispanic whites or Asians to have a stroke.