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Photo from A.T. Still University 2014 Winter Institute

Clockwise from back to front: Suzy Raaymakers, Don Garrett, Lincoln Blackwell, Alberto Aviles-Munoz, Molly Paulson

Cerebral Vascular Accident (Stroke)

3D Animation Stroke - AmerraMedical

This video does not contain animation, but is a nice short descriptive video about strokes.

What is a Stroke (Cerebral Vascular Accident)?

Cerebral vascular accident (ser'e-bral vas'ku ak'si-dent) is damage to the brain caused by a disruption (blockage) of blood flow to part of the brain.  When there is a disruption of blood to the brain for a longer amount of time, the brain cells in that area die.    

Symptoms of Stroke

The symptoms of stroke (cerebral vascular accident) depend on what part of the brain is affected.  Common symptoms may include paralysis of part of the body, loss of all or part of the vision, or loss of the ability to speak or understand speech.  The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association worked together to create this helpful way of identify a stroke:

Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)

Video from Center for Disease Control (CDC): "High Blood Pressure Basics"

  What is Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)?

As the heart pumps blood, blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the arterial walls.  It the pressure against the arterial walls rises and stays elevated, this pressure can damage the body.  High blood pressure can lead to cerebral vascular accident, coronary artery disease, heart failure, kidney failure and other health problems. 

Know Your Numbers

Blood pressure is measured in systolic (sis-TOL-lik) and diastolic (di-ah-STOL-ik) in units of millimeters of mercury (mmHg).  Systolic is the blood pressure against the arterial walls during the time that the heart is contracting (squeezing).  Diastolic blood pressure is the pressure between beats when the heart is relaxing.  Most often, blood pressure numbers are written with the systolic number followed by the diastolic number, such as 120/80 mmHg. 

This chart shows the blood pressure categories defined by the American Heart Association

For more information here is a link for the American Heart Association "Understanding Blood Pressure Readings"

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HighBloodPressure/AboutHighBloodPressure/Understanding-Blood-Pressure-Readings_UCM_301764_Article.jsp

Video from American Heart Association: "What Do Blood Pressure Numbers Mean?"

Please see our blog tabs for information about the connection between hypertension and stroke, diet, exercise, and medications for hypertension.