Cerebrovascular Disease
Causes & Risk Factors
Causes:
An ischemic stroke occurs when a blood vessel carrying blood to the brain
is blocked by a clot and a hemorrhagic stroke occurs due to leakage of
blood into the brain. Brain cells may die if they do not receive blood
and oxygen for a long a time.
Risks:
Risk factors can be broadly classified into controllable and
uncontrollable risks. The controllable risks include:
- Smoking: Tobacco smokers are at increased risk of getting
a cerebrovascular disease.
- Hypertension: Controlling high blood pressure could help in
prevention of cerebrovascular disease.
- Carotid or other arterial disease: Narrowing of the carotid
arteries due to plaque deposits reduces the supply of blood
to the brain. A clot may cause complete blockade of blood supply
to brain.
- History of Transient Ischemic Attacks (TIA)
- Diabetes: Untreated diabetes may cause a stroke.
- High cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease.
- Physical inactivity and obesity lead to high blood cholesterol
levels, hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
- Women are at risk of stroke during pregnancy or during the
weeks immediately after delivery.
- Alcohol and drug abuse must be avoided.
- Injury to brain must be avoided. (2, 3).
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Uncontrollable risk factors include:
- Age: People of all ages are at risk for cerebrovascular
disease but older people have a greater risk.
- Gender: Men are more prone to strokes then women.
- Heredity and Race: Children, grandchildren or siblings
of a stroke victiml have a greater risk of developing
cerebrovascular disease. African-Americans stand a higher risk of dying
due to stroke as compared to Caucasians, since black
people are more prone to hypertension, and diabetes.
- Prior Stroke or Heart Attack: An individual with
a history of strokes or heart attacks are at a higher risk
of having another stroke (3).
Article by Kona Vishnu, MS
Medical Writer,
OmniMedicalSearch.com
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