A stroke can happen as a result of a block or a bleed, that is when there is an obstruction in a blood vessel thus halting the flow of blood to the brain or when the vessel bursts due to excess pressure and bleeds out.
This causes the affected brain cells to become oxygen-starved and subsequently stop working efficiently.
If the brain cells go too long without oxygen, they die and if enough brain cells in an area die, the damage to that part becomes irreversible, leading to a loss of abilities once controlled by the area.
But, restoring blood flow “on time” may prevent that kind of damage or at least limit its severity.
This is the reason it is important to recognize the signs of a stroke early.
Stroke symptoms depend on the affected area as different areas of your brain control different abilities, signs may include a sudden loss of balance, sudden loss of vision in one or both eyes, a droop on one or both sides of the face, muscle weakness, difficulty speaking, confusion among others.