Cerebrovascular Accident Essay

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A Cerebrovascular accident, a brain attack, or more commonly known as a Stroke, is the most common disabling neurological disorder (Aminoff, Greenberg and Simon, 2015), which affects 1.8% of the Australian population, this is an estimated 381,400 people(Abs.gov.au, 2015) . The World Health Organisation (2015, para 1) states that a stroke is an “interruption of the blood supply to the brain, usually because a blood vessel bursts or is blocked by a clot. This cuts off the supply of oxygen and nutrients, causing damage to the brain tissue”, which can result in lasting brain damage, long-term disability, or even death. What makes a stroke so unique, is that the outcome of a stroke is different for every person. This essay will be focusing on …show more content…

A Neurological disorder is a disease that affects the central nervous system, which consists of the nerves that connect that brain and the spine. Tortora and Derrickson (2012, p.294) state that a stroke is characterised by an “abrupt onset of persisting symptoms”, the type of stroke a person experiences and what parts of the brain are affected distinguish the type of symptoms a person will experience. The most common symptoms a person who is about to have a stroke will experience include numbness, confusion, vision problems, headaches and trouble with walking. The numbness a person can experience may be an abrupt onset of lack of feeling or weakness in areas of the body such as the face, arm, or leg, this is most common on one side of the body, if this symptom is severe it can lead to paralysis. Confusion is also a distinct sign of the onset of a stroke, a person may experience confusion in areas such as language. This means they can have trouble speaking and difficulties understanding speech. Vision problems are also a major symptom in the lead up to a stroke, a person’s vison can suddenly become blurred, blackened or doubled, out of one or both eyes. Sudden severe headaches and trouble walking are also other symptoms of a stroke. Trouble with walking can include dizziness and lack of balance and