What is a stroke?

A STROKE, also known as a cerebrovascular accident (CVA), occurs when the brain is starved of oxygen.

In an ischaemic stroke, the blood supply to a part of the brain is cut off by a clot. A less common form (haemorrhagic stroke) occurs when blood leaks from an artery into the brain.

Stroke can occur at any age, with half of all strokes occurring in people over the age of 70. Almost 10,000 people develop stroke in the Republic each year. Some 30 per cent of these die within a year of having a stroke.

There are about 30,000 people who are stroke survivors, many of whom have a significant disability that affects their independence, such as speech or swallowing problems or a weakness on one side of the body (hemiplegia).

© 2008 The Irish Times

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times