Why is a stroke called a “brain attack?”
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Dr. Michael Roizen answered:Some doctors call strokes “brain attacks” because they have a lot in common with heart attacks. A heart attack occurs when an artery that delivers blood to the heart’s muscle becomes blocked. Starved of oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood, the heart tissue begins to die. If treatment isn’t administered fast, the damage can spread and prove fatal.
Exchange a few words (namely brain for heart) and you are describing a stroke. Your brain, like your heart and the rest of your body, runs on the oxygen and nutrients delivered via the blood. The most common form of stroke occurs when a blood vessel in the brain becomes clogged.
A severe stroke can permanently destroy massive numbers of brain cells, resulting in paralysis, speech difficulties, and even death. The sooner you get the help of a trained professional at a stroke center (go only to an ER that has a stroke center), the more brain you are likely to save.
Some doctors call strokes “brain attacks” because they have a lot in common with heart attacks. A heart attack occurs when an artery that delivers blood to the heart’s muscle becomes blocked. Starved of oxygen- and nutrient-rich... More -
Dr. Douglas Severance answered:Similar to a heart attack, a "brain attack" or stroke is caused when oxygen-rich blood cannot get to cells, often because of a blood clot blocking the artery. As a result, the affected part of the brain can die. A stroke often causes weakness or paralysis of the face, hand, arm, foot, or leg. You can have difficulty speaking, loss of feeling in an arm or leg, loss of consciousness, loss of vision, unsteadiness, and other serious disabilities from a brain attack.
Heart conditions such as atrial fibrillation increase the risk of a stroke. That's because when the heart beats too fast and out of rhythm, it doesn't efficiently pump all the blood out of its upper chambers, so that the blood pools in there and can form clots that travel to the brain, triggering a stroke. Treating the atrial fibrillation may prevent clots from forming and stave off a brain attack as well as other serious heart conditions.Similar to a heart attack, a "brain attack" or stroke is caused when oxygen-rich blood cannot get to cells, often because of a blood clot blocking the artery. As a result, the affected part of the brain can die. A stroke often causes weakness or... More
