Australian Prescriber Vol. A stroke is an injury to the brain. It can be caused by bleeding in the brain or if the blood supply to part of the brain is blocked off. People who survive a stroke may be permanently disabled. As the Australian population gets older more people will have a stroke.
Prevention is therefore important.
The risks of stroke may be reduced by a healthy lifestyle. People who smoke, have high cholesterol or suffer from high blood pressure are at risk of having a stroke. People who have a stroke often have to go into hospital. A brain scan needs to be done to see what has caused the stroke. Most strokes are caused by a blockage in the blood supply.