Cerebrovascular accident (CVA), or stroke, is the death of brain tissue caused by the loss of blood flow to part of the brain. Blood, which carries nutrients and oxygen to the brain, is necessary for brain cells to stay alive. The brain responds quickly—within minutes—from lack of blood causing one or more symptoms. There are two types of strokes: ischemic and hemorrhagic. Ischemic strokes account for 80 percent of stroke cases and are usually not fatal. Three conditions that cause ischemic strokes are thrombosis, a blood clot within a blood vessel of the neck or brain, embolisms, a blood clot that moves from another part of the body to the neck or brain, and stenosis, a severe narrowing of an artery in or leading to the brain. The second most common type of stroke is a hemorrhagic stroke. Hemorrhagic strokes result from weakened blood vessels, aneurysms and arteriovenous malformations that rupture and bleed into the surrounding brain.

Arteriosclerosis, which is the thickening and toughening of arterial walls, is a major cause of strokes. Diseases such as hypertension, heart disease, diabetes mellitus, high cholesterol, obesity, and blood disorders are causes of arteriosclerosis. There are also lifestyle choices like cigarette smoking, a sedentary lifestyle, and illegal drug use that contribute to weakened blood vessels, build up of plaque in blood vessels or blood clots, which block blood flow through arteries and can cause strokes. Magazines like Healthy and Fit and Today’s Diet and Nutrition offer great solutions to beating the sedentary lifestyle.

Warning signs of strokes happen suddenly, often do not include pain and depend on which side of the brain is affected. Warning signs are sudden weakness, numbness or tingling in the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body; sudden trouble walking, dizziness or loss of balance/coordination; sudden difficulty communicating, confusion or personality change; sudden visual disturbance, severe headache or loss of consciousness; sudden difficulty swallowing, loss of bowel and bladder control. Any one of these warning signs warrants a suspicion of a CVA and thus medical attention. Preventing CVAs requires a healthy lifestyle including maintaining healthy cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels, regular exercise and healthy eating habits to maintain a healthy weight. There is a lot of information on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Magazines like Heart Healthy Living, Health, Prevention feature articles on how to take control of your diet, manage your cholesterol, blood pressure and reduce stress.

There are also many drugs on available that help with maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Sometimes surgery, such as carotid endarterectomy, in which surgeons scrape plaque out of the carotid artery in the neck or insert stint to keep artery open, are appropriate measures for prevention. Health magazines like Bottom Line/Health and Consumer Reports/Health can help you stay abreast of the latest drugs and treatments for strokes.