If not, you are not alone. Stroke is the third leading cause of death and the number one cause of disability in the United States. Yet in a 1991 Gallup survey, only 40 percent of adults age 50 or over could identify a single stroke symptom. Texas Medical Association encourages you to learn how to prevent and recognize stroke.
Strokes are similar to heart attacks, but they affect the brain instead of the heart.
Seventy to 80 percent of strokes are caused by a blood clot that blocks flow to the brain. Blood carries oxygen to nerve cells in the brain, so nerve cells die when a blood clot deprives them of oxygen. These dead cells can cause disabilities or death. Some risk factors for stroke can't be controlled. For instance, men, African Americans, diabetics, and those with a family history of stroke are at greater risk.