Hypertension
Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a condition where a person's blood is pumping too hard for the blood vessels. Hypertension can cause damage to the vessels and overwork the heart. Hypertension can result from a poor lifestyle that involves high stress, low physical activity, smoking, and obesity.
Strokes
The brain, like every other organ, requires blood to receive oxygen and nutrients. A stroke happens if something interrupts those items from reaching the brain. The most common type of stroke is ischemic, which accounts for 87 percent of all strokes. Other types include hemorrhaging strokes, which result from ruptured blood vessels. Whichever part of the brain a stroke happens in, it can cause paralysis or lack of function in that area.
Causal Relationship
One cause of hypertension is a clogged blood vessel or artery. These clogs can happen from plaque build up along the blood vessel walls. If a vessel is completely blocked, then the owning organ may start to die off. The brain is no exception. If a blood vessel ruptures, that can directly affect the organ that it's in by cutting off the oxygen supply completely. Therefore, hypertension could effectively cause a stroke.
TIA
Sometimes a major stroke will actually have precursory smaller strokes known as transient ischemic attacks or TIA. The TIA will resemble a real stroke, except that the artery clog in the brain is only temporary. The affected area of the brain will temporarily lose blood flow for less than five minutes. TIAs, according to the American Heart Organization Website, can signal almost 15 percent of all coming major strokes. In the 90-day window after a TIA, the highest risk of an oncoming stroke can happen within the first 30 days.
FAST
Although there are no warning symptoms for high blood pressure, there are some for TIA or strokes. One simple acronym can quickly identify the signs- F.A.S.T. "F" stands for facial weakness or numbness in the face, such as in the mouth or eyes. "A" stands for arm weakness; a stroke victim may not be able to raise both arms. "S" is for speech difficulty; stroke victims may not be able to speak clearly. "T" means time to act if any of the conditions in the first three letters are met.
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