What are the mechanisms by which strokes occur?

The blockage of an artery in the brain by a clot (thrombosis) is the most common cause of a stroke. The part of the brain that is supplied by the clotted blood vessel is then deprived of blood and oxygen. As a result of the deprived blood and oxygen, the cells of that part of the brain die. Typically, a clot forms in a small blood vessel within the brain that has been previously narrowed due to a variety of risk factors including:

• high blood pressure (hypertension),
• high cholesterol,
• Diabetes, and
• smoking.
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It could also be caused by a hole in the heart which is called a PFO. Then a blood clot can go through the hole and up to the brain. I would know. It happened to me.