When a blood vessel in the brain bursts, pressure from the blood compresses part of the brain. If the person survives, gradually over time the pressure ebbs and the brain may return to its former state. Stroke affects different people in different ways depending on the type of stroke and the area of the brain affected. It can affect the senses, speech, and the ability to understand language, behavioral and thought patterns, and memory. Paralysis on one side of the body is common.
Stroke can also cause depression, as survivors have difficulty coping with their disabilities.
Stroke often causes people to lose feeling in an arm or leg, or suffer diminished sight in one eye. These losses result in loss of awareness, so stroke victims may forget or ignore their weaker side. As a result, they may ignore items put on their affected side, have trouble reading, or dress only one side of their bodies and think they are completely dressed. Bumping into furniture or door jambs is also common. A stroke can affect vision, the sense of touch, the ability to sense movement, and thinking so that the perception of everyday objects may become altered.