Cerebrovascular disease facts for kids
Cerebrovascular disease, stroke or cerebrovascular accident, is a vascular disease of the cerebral circulation. Arteries supplying oxygen to the brain are affected resulting in one of a number of cerebrovascular diseases. Most commonly this is a stroke or mini-stroke and sometimes can be a hemorrhagic stroke. Any of these can result in vascular dementia.
Contents
Causes
Causes of cerebrovascular disease can be divided into: atherosclerosis, embolism, aneurysms, low flow states, and other rare causes. Major modifiable risk factors include:
Treatment
Treatment for cerebrovascular disease includes medication, lifestyle changes and surgery.
Examples of medications are:
- Antiplatelets (Aspirin, Clopidogrel)
- Blood thinners (Heparin, Warfarin )
- Antihypertensives (ACE inhibitors, Beta blockers)
- Anti-diabetic medications
Surgical procedures include:
- Endovascular surgery and Vascular surgery (for future stroke prevention)
Notable cases
- Walter Cronkite, American news journalist. Died in 2010.
- Roberts Blossom, American actor and poet. Died in 2011.
- Shirley Hufstedler, American judge, first United States Secretary of Education. Died in 2016.
Images for kids
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MRI demonstrating white matter changes in the brain of patients with CADASIL
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Illustration of a cerebral aneurysm, demonstrating the bulge in an artery in the brain
See also
In Spanish: Enfermedad cerebrovascular para niños
