Different types of stroke

Ischaemic Stroke

An ischaemic stroke occurs when a blood clot blocks an artery serving the brain, disrupting blood supply. Very often such stroke is the end result of a build-up of cholesterol and other debris in the arteries (atherosclerosis) over many years

It may be due to a cerebral thrombosis in which a blood clot forms in a main artery leading to the brain, cutting off blood supply or a cerebral embolism in which a blood clot forms in a blood vessel elsewhere in the body for instance in the neck or heart and the wandering clot travels in the bloodstream to the brain.

Haemorrhagic Stroke

A harmorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel in or around the brain bursts, causing a bleed or haemorrhage. Long-standing, untreated high blood pressure places a strain on the artery walls increasing their risk of bursting and subsequent bleeding.

It may be due to an intracerebral haemorrhage in which a blood vessel bursts within the brain itself or a subarachnoid haemorrhage in which a blood vessel on the surface of the brain bleeds into the area between the brain and the skull.