What is cerebral stroke?

A stroke is sometimes called a "brain attack." A stroke can injure the brain like a heart attack can injure the heart. A stroke occurs when part of the brain doesn't get the blood it needs. Strokes in the brain stem are very harmful because the brain stem controls all our body's functions that we don't have to think about, such as eye movements, breathing, hearing, speech, and swallowing. Since impulses that start in the brain must travel through the brain stem on their way to the arms and legs, patients with a brain stem stroke may also develop paralysis, or not be able to move or feel on one or both sides of the body. It happens mostly because the blood supply to the brain is cut off, but it can also be a hemorragic stroke which happens when a blood vessel in the brain bursts, and blood bleeds into the brain. This type of stroke can be caused by an aneurysm -- a thin or weak spot in an artery that balloons out and can burst. This is common among patients with poorly controlled high blood pressure. Sorry for your loss. And please, since high blood pressure tendencies are hereditary, remember to keep yours checked too.

If it were call a "brain attack" in stead of a cerebral stroke, it might get more attention. A blood clot in the brain will cause damage to the brain cells. If those brain cells control major functions of the body, then it will kill the person. Strokes are the third leading cause of death in the US. High B/P is a leading cause of strokes. Here is the website for the National Stroke Association www.stroke.org

Basically , in very simple terms, it is death of brain tissue, which led to his death by the shutdown of his other bodily systems.It is a chain reaction type of thing.

You said his blood pressure was high, so apparently it didn't come down and stay down. If it goes too high, the cerebral section of his brain just shut down! In a stroke tissues die, and alot of times the opposite side of the patients brain kicks in and tries to relearn how to function for the part that dies. But his didn't get discovered in time. Im very sorry for your loss! My dad has been gone for years--- I still miss him!

Please see the web pages for more details on Stroke, Hemorrhagic stroke, Stroke secondary to atherosclerosis, Stroke secondary to cardiogenic embolism, Stroke secondary to carotid dissection, stroke secondary to carotid stenosis and stroke seconadary to FMD.

A stroke occurs when the blood supply to a part of your brain is interrupted or severely reduced, depriving brain tissue of oxygen and nutrients. Within a few minutes, brain cells begin to die. Stroke is a medical emergency. Prompt treatment of a stroke could mean the difference between life and death. Early treatment can also minimize damage to your 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 good news is that many fewer Americans now die of strokes than was the case 20 or 30 years ago. Improvement in the control of major risk factors for stroke — smoking, high blood pressure and high cholesterol — is likely responsible for the decline.-