STROKE 101

May marks Action on Stroke month and with someone in the UK affected every five minutes, it’s vital we educate ourselves about strokes. A stroke ‘occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off, causing brain cells to die,’ says Dr Emer MacSweeney, consultant neuroradiologist**. ‘Functions controlled by that part of the brain, such as movement or speech, are lost as a result.’

TYPES OF STROKE

There are two main types of stroke: ischaemic strokes (accounting for