Stroke

Stroke is the third most common cause of death in the UK. A stroke happens when the supply of blood to an area of brain tissue is interrupted, for example, by a blood clot or a bleed. When starved of oxygen, the affected brain cells start to die and a brain injury occurs.

Sometimes people experience minor strokes called 'Transient Ischaemic Attacks' (TIAs) and they experience symptoms that go away after a short time. These often happen before a major stroke, so it's important to speak to a doctor if you think you may have had a TIA.

The symptoms of a stroke depend on where it occurs and how much of the brain was affected. They often affect movement and sensation, but can cause a range of other symptoms. See the 'Effects of brain injury' page for more details.

As with traumatic brain injury, prevention is the best treatment. Prevention focuses on attention to lifestyle and treatment of other conditions, such as blood-clotting disorders and irregular heartbeats. Once a stroke has occurred, a rehabilitation team can try to help regain lost skills and allow the brain to repair and retrain itself as much as possible, but long-term effects are common.

Most Headway groups and branches can offer support to people who have had a stroke, their family and carers.

Click the 'How can we help?' link on the right to see what we can do to support you.