A stroke happens when part of the brain dies. Some people call these brain attacks. Either something has blocked blood flow through one of the arteries to the brain, or there has been bleeding from one of these arteries.

There are two types of stroke. Ischemic is the most common, accounting for 80-85% of all strokes. Hemorrhagic makes up the rest. Both types can be extremely dangerous.

Another similar problem is called a Transient Ischemic Attack, or TIA. Some people call these mini-strokes. Basically it means that for a short period of time (transient), there is no blood flow (ischemia), to a part of the brain. Fortunately the stroke symptoms get better, but there is a very high risk of stroke within the next 24 hours.

Most people who have strokes are over 60 years old, and women have strokes when they are a little older than men. Things like high blood pressure, heart disease and smoking can place you at higher risk for having a stroke. These are called risk factors, and there are several which can be modified to lessen your chance of having a stroke.

There are even some conditions that can lead to young people having strokes. In the United States, stroke is the third leading cause of death, and is one of the leading causes of long-term disability. The frequency of stroke is actually higher in the state of Washington than in the United States overall.

Warning signs of stroke can be anything from speech problems to weakness, numbness or tingling on one side of the body. People also can have vision loss, balance problems or severe headache. Most stroke symptoms start suddenly, but can get worse, better or come and go during a stroke. The most important thing to do is to get help right away even if someone seems to be getting better. There are many treatments available for stroke, but they are better and more effective the sooner they are started.