Medical definition of stroke
The signs of a stroke are a clinical syndrome characterized by rapidly developing clinical symptoms and/or signs of focal, and at times global (applied to patients in deep coma and those with subarachnoid hemorrhage), loss of cerebral function, with symptoms lasting more than 24 hours or leading to death, with no apparent cause other than that of vascular origin (Hatano 1976).
The use of this definition of stroke over the past 30 years has had many advantages. The description of ‘rapid onset’ of neurological symptoms nicely captures the key features of stroke for healthcare professionals. In fact, this is a defining feature of vascular disease (disease of the blood vessels). A heart attack (occlusion of a coronary artery by a ruptured atherosclerotic plaque) is characterized by sudden chest pain. Arterial thrombosis of the leg is characterized by a sudden onset of a painful, pulse-less, and pale leg.
Mild stroke symptoms, such as weakness down one side (unilateral hemiparesis) or loss of vision (unilateral loss of visual field called hemianopia), describe the common patterns of stroke symptoms that are due to the way the blood is supplied to the brain, which follows a similar pattern from person to person. The proviso in the definition "with no apparent cause other than that of vascular disease" excludes other common causes of damage to the brain such as trauma. The definition does not depend on fancy technology and can be made at the bedside by the doctor. The strict use of this definition has been essential in epidemiological studies assessing stroke incidence and prevalence around the world, and studies of stroke treatment and outcome.
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