Stroke
Stroke
A stroke is a serious, life-threatening condition. It happens when the blood supply to part of the brain is suddenly cut off.
A stroke is a medical emergency, so getting treatment quickly is essential. The sooner treatment begins, the less damage the brain is likely to suffer.
Common Symptoms
Emergency Warning Signs
Phone 999 if you think you or someone you know is having a stroke. Do not drive if you think you have had a stroke or TIA (transient ischaemic attack). Even if the symptoms go away, it is still important to go to hospital for an urgent assessment. If your GP can see you the same day, they may be able to give this urgent assessment. If your GP practice is closed, phone 111.
Phone your GP practice urgently if you have had, or think you have had, a TIA. If your GP practice is closed, phone 111.
⚠️ This symptom list is for educational purposes. Having these symptoms does not mean you have this condition. See a doctor for proper diagnosis.
Medicines Commonly Used
⚠️ These medicines are commonly used for confirmed diagnoses of this condition. This is NOT a recommendation or prescription. Treatment must be determined by your doctor.
No medicines have been linked to this condition yet.
When to See a Doctor
Phone 999 if you think you or someone you know is having a stroke. Do not drive if you think you have had a stroke or TIA (transient ischaemic attack). Even if the symptoms go away, it is still important to go to hospital for an urgent assessment. If your GP can see you the same day, they may be able to give this urgent assessment. If your GP practice is closed, phone 111.
Phone your GP practice urgently if you have had, or think you have had, a TIA. If your GP practice is closed, phone 111.
Causes
What causes a stroke?
Like all organs, the brain needs the oxygen and nutrients provided by blood to function. If the supply of blood is restricted or stopped, brain cells begin to die. This can lead to brain injury, disability and possibly death.
There are 2 main causes of strokes:
- ischaemic – where the blood supply stops due to a blood clot (this is the cause of a stroke in most cases)
- haemorrhagic – where a weakened blood vessel supplying the brain bursts
Who’s most at risk of a stroke?
There are some things that can make you more likely to have a stroke or TIA. These include:
- poor diet
- lack of exercise
- obesity
- smoking
- drinking too much alcohol
- high cholesterol
- high blood pressure (hypertension)
- diabetes
- atrial fibrillation
Lifestyle changes can help control some of these risk factors. You may also need to take regular medication.
If you have an irregular heartbeat due to atrial fibrillation, taking anticoagulant medication will help reduce the risk of stroke.
Diagnosis
Diagnosing a stroke
Strokes are usually diagnosed by physical tests and studying scans of the brain.
Some tests can help confirm the diagnosis and find the cause of the stroke. This may include:
- checking your pulse for an irregular heartbeat
- measuring your blood pressure
- blood tests to check your cholesterol and blood sugar levels
Brain scans
Even if the physical symptoms of a stroke are obvious, you should have a brain scan to determine:
- if a blocked artery (ischaemic stroke) or burst blood vessel (haemorrhagic stroke) caused the stroke
- which part of the brain is affected
- how severe the stroke is
Everyone with suspected stroke should receive a brain scan as soon as possible when they attend hospital. This is especially important for those who:
- might benefit from treatments to unblock arteries like clot-busting drugs (thrombolysis) or a procedure to unblock blood vessels (thrombectomy)
- are on anticoagulant (blood thinning) treatments
- have a lower level of consciousness
The 2 main types of brain scan that are used after someone has had a stroke are:
- computerised tomography (CT) scan
- magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan
The type of scan you may have depends on your symptoms.
Heart and blood vessel tests
Other tests that might be used to help diagnose a stroke are:
- an electrocardiogram (ECG) – to measure your heart’s electrical activity
- an echocardiogram scan – to produce images of your heart
- heart monitoring – to look for abnormal heart rhythms like atrial fibrillation
- a carotid ultrasound scan – to check if there’s any narrowing or blockages in the neck arteries leading to your brain
Read about treatments for stroke and life after a stroke.
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Prevention
If you've had a stroke or a TIA (transient ischaemic attack), it's important to work on these same factors, since another stroke becomes more likely afterward. In most cases, you can meaningfully lower your risk of stroke by changing a few everyday habits.
Start with what you eat: a diet low in fat and salt, but rich in fibre, fresh fruit, vegetables and whole grains, makes a real difference. Regular exercise helps too, since it can bring down your cholesterol and keep your blood pressure at a healthy level. If you smoke, quitting is one of the most powerful steps you can take, and cutting back on alcohol also helps.
Some risk factors, though, are simply beyond your control. Age is one: strokes are most common after 65, but they can strike at any age, even in children. Family history matters as well, since your risk tends to be higher if a parent, grandparent, brother or sister has had a stroke. Ethnicity plays a role too, if you're south Asian, African or Caribbean, your risk is higher, partly because diabetes and high blood pressure are more common in these communities. And your own medical history counts: having already had a stroke, a TIA or a heart attack raises the chance of a future stroke.