A stroke is defined as any damage to the brain due to a lack of blood flow in the brain's blood vessels, or major arteries leading to the brain. There are different kinds of strokes, but they can all lead to temporary or permanent loss of one or more functions of the victim's body.
In the United States each year, 700,000 Americans suffer from a stroke. On average, about 150,000 people die from strokes each year, 2/5 occurring in men, and 3/5 occurring in women. In 2004, stroke death rates were, per 100,000 people, 48.1 for white men, and 47.4 for white women, 73.9 for black men, and 64.9 for black women.
According to the American Heart Association, Americans will spend almost $62.7 billion in the year 2007 just for stroke related medical costs, and about every 3-4 minutes, someone dies from a stroke.
When a stroke occurs, blood flow to the brain is greatly reduced, and the brain is susceptible to permanent damage. The effects of the stroke are greatly depended on the location of the stroke in the brain. Since one side of the brain controls the other side of the body, if the damage occurs in the right brain, the left side of the body will be affected.
These problems could include paralysis, vision problems, and memory loss. If the damage were to occur in the left side of the brain, problems could include paralysis, speech and language problems, slow behavior style, and memory loss.
