When the blood supply to a part of the brain is interrupted or severely reduced, depriving brain tissue of oxygen and nutrients, a stroke occurs. Within a few minutes, brain cells begin to die.
Stroke is a medical emergency. Prompt treatment could mean the difference between life and death. Early treatment can also minimize damage to the brain and potential disability.
In the United States, stroke is a leading cause of adult disability and the third-leading cause of death; only heart disease and cancer cause more deaths annually.
The major risk factors for stroke are:
- smoking
- high blood pressure, and
- high cholesterol
Improvement in the control of these factors has helped reduce the death rate from stroke and many fewer people, at least in the US, now die of strokes than was the case 20 or 30 years ago.
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