What causes a stroke?
Blockage of blood vessels in the brain
- Clots can travel from the blood vessels of the heart or neck and lodge in the brain.
- Small vessels in the brain can become blocked, often due to high blood pressure or damage from diabetes.
- Clots can form in the blood vessels of the brain due to arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).
Bleeding into or around the brain
- Weak spots on brain arteries (aneurysms) burst, covering the brain with blood.
- Blood vessels in the brain break because they have been weakened by damage due to high blood pressure, diabetes, or aging.
How common is stroke?
Information about the incidence and prevalence of stroke is available in the ASHA report, Communication Facts: Special Populations: Stroke - 2004 Edition.
Other ASHA articles on Stroke
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