Embolic stroke, also known as cerebral embolism , is one of the major health complications that can occur affecting the functioning of the brain. It is a type of stroke that can cause permanent brain damage, induce a coma or directly lead to death.

Below we will see how a stroke occurs and what kind of damage and disorders it can cause.

What is a stroke?

A cerebral embolism is a type of infarction, i.e. a vascular disease in which the flow of blood (in this case, blood flowing through the vessels of the brain) is interrupted, seriously compromising the survival of regions of the body irrigated by this channel and its branches due to the immediate lack of oxygen. Thus, a situation of asphyxiation occurs that affects an infarcted, or ischemic, area.

Specifically, what distinguishes stroke from other types of strokes is the way in which the cessation of blood flow through the affected area occurs . In this disease, a body obstructs the blood vessel for a time or permanently until it is removed by surgery.

The difference between a thrombus and a plunger

The obstructing element that causes a stroke is usually a clot that is caused by a narrowing of a section of the blood vessel. It should be noted, however, that in ischemic accidents this obstructing body can be of two types: either a thrombus or an embolus .

If it is a thrombus, this clot will not have left the blood vessel wall at any time, and will have grown in size there. On the other hand, the embolus does not have a fixed position in the circulatory system, and runs through the blood vessels until it is “stuck” in one place and produces the thrombosis.

So, while the thrombus affects the part of the body where it develops, the embolus can come from a distant part of the body and cause problems almost anywhere.

With regard to cerebral embolism , it is found within the ischemia known as embolic accidents , while the infarctions produced by thrombi are thrombotic accidents.

Why does the damage to the brain occur?

It should be noted that the brain is one of the most complex organs in the human body, but also one of the most delicate and energetically demanding.

Unlike other structures in the body, it needs a constant blood flow to continue to function; specifically, every 100 grams of brain matter needs to receive about 50 ml . of properly oxygenated blood every minute.

If this amount falls below 30 ml, an infarct zone may be generated due to lack of glucose and oxygen. In the case of a stroke, the infarct or ischemic zone is dead cell tissue composed basically of neurons and glia.

Symptoms

The main long-term symptoms produced by this type of ischemic attack can be very varied, as many functions depend on the proper functioning of the brain. However, the short-term symptoms are easier to recognize ; they are the following, although the presence of one does not mean that it is the cause, and they do not have to be all at once:

  • Severe headache that appears suddenly.
  • Sudden onset of a feeling of fatigue and tiredness that is difficult to explain
  • Paralysis and/or numbness of one or more body parts, usually lined up on one side only, or on the left or right For example, paralysis of one half of the face.
  • Loss of vision within seconds, or double vision.
  • Appearance of an intense tingling sensation in certain areas of the body.
  • Sudden confusion and disorientation : it is difficult to be aware of when and where the person is.

Main types of stroke

Beyond the classification of ischemic events, differentiating between thrombotic and embolic accidents, the latter also present different subcategories that allow a better understanding of the characteristics of each case.

Essentially, these categories depend on the characteristics of the piston that produces the risk situation. Thus, the main types of stroke are the following.

1. Aerial piston

In these cases, the plunger is an air bubble that acts by preventing the passage of blood.

2. Tissue plunger

In this type of embolism, the obstructing body is part of a tumor or clusters of cancer cells.

3. Fatty plunger

The plunger is made of fatty material that has built up a plaque in the blood vessel, and which has been traveling through the circulation after it detaches from its original position.

4. Cardiac embolus

In this type of stroke, the embolus is a blood clot that has acquired a thick, pasty consistency.

Associated disorders and sequels

Among the most common sequelae of stroke are the following:

Emotional regulation disorders

People who have suffered a stroke may have greater difficulty suppressing impulses, regulating complex emotional responses, or expressing the way they feel.

Language disorders

Language uses networks of neurons distributed in various parts of the brain, so it is easy for an ischemic accident to affect the biological functions that maintain it. For example, the appearance of aphasias is relatively common.

Paralysis

Strokes can cause parts of the body to become “disconnected” from the brain, which means that the muscle fibers that move them are not activated by the motor neurons that reach them.

Apraxias

Apraxias are disorders based on the difficulty in coordinating voluntary movements .

Memory problems and amnesias

Amnesias, both retrograde and anterograde, are not uncommon. It may also occur that procedural memory, which is linked to the person’s intelligence, is diminished.