CVA or stroke is the third leading cause of death and the number one cause of disability in the US. There are two forms of a stroke, ischemic and hemorrhagic. An ischemic is when there is a lack of blood supply to a certain part of the brain, usually caused by a thrombosis or embolism. A hemorrhagic is when a blood vessel in the brain ruptures. A stroke is a medical emergency and can cause permanent damage to brain tissue and death, if not promptly diagnosed and treated. Ischemic strokes usually only affects regional areas of the brain perfused by the blocked artery, whereas hemorrhagic can affect local areas but can be more global due to increased intracranial swelling. Signs and symptoms of a stroke are numbness on one side, weakness of the face and trouble walking. Symptoms can vary depending on area of brain affected.Strokes are diagnosed through several techniques, but are most often found on CT w/o enhancement and then followed up with an MRI. Early recognition of a stroke is generally regarded as important for a good prognosis. Treatment for ischemic stroke would be the patient would be given antiplatelet or an anticoagulant medication, whereas with a hemorrhagic stroke that treatment would be harmful to the patient. A hemorrhagic stroke must be treated with neurosurgical evaluation to detect and treat the cause of the bleeding.Disability affects 75% of stroke survivors enough to decrease their employability. A stroke can affect patients physically, mentally, emotionally, or a combination of all three. Dysfunctions corresponds to areas in the brain that have been damaged
