What is a stroke?
A stroke is an injury to the brain caused by interruption of its blood flow or by bleeding into or around the brain.  It produces neurologic deficits that have a relatively sudden onset and persist for more than 24 hours.  A stroke can also kill the patient.

Permanent neurologic deficits that are commonly produced by a stroke include:

• Weakness or paralysis, usually limited to one side of the body
• Loss of sensation, usually limited to one side of the body
• Problems with vision
• Difficulty in talking or in understanding what is being said
• Difficulty with organization or preception
• Clumsiness or lack of balance