Ischemic Stroke in the Elderly

An ischemic stroke is an urgent health condition that occurs when an artery supplying the brain with oxygenated blood becomes blocked, which suddenly stops or sharply decreases blood flow, which ultimately causes a brain infarction, or in layman’s terms, tissue death. Ischemic strokes account for 80% of all strokes.

The most common cause of artery blockage and brain infarction is blood clots. It is important to note, if you’re caring for a senior or you yourself are advancing in age, that problems with clotting become more frequent with age.

The bodily process of clotting is important and necessary, as it stops bleeding and allows the body to repair damaged areas of arteries and veins. Unfortunately, when blood clots develop in the wrong place within an artery, it can cause devastating injury by interfering with the normal flow of blood. And when blood flow to the brain is blocked, brain cells begin to die in just a few short minutes.

Mini-strokes, or transient ischemic attacks, TIAs for short, occur when the blood flow to the brain is blocked only temporarily. Compared to full-blown strokes, TIAs tend to happen quickly and can seem minor. But regardless of the lasting effects, any interruption in the supply of blood to the brain should be considered serious, and oftentimes a TIA can be an indicator or an early warning sign of an impending major stroke.

A person experiencing stroke symptoms, like blurred vision, slurred or incoherent speech, disorientation, numbness or weakness in one or both sides of the face or extremities, should seek medical treatment as soon as possible.