With more than 700,000 annually in the U.S. alone (following only heart disease and cancer as leading causes of death), strokes occur most frequently in those over 65, although risk factors for stroke begin to increase substantially at 55.
The two types of stroke are ischemic (a blood clot blocks a blood vessel into the brain) and hemorrhagic (a broken blood vessel bleeds into the brain). Although a stroke can rapidly result in damaged and deteriorating brain cells, new treatment options can quickly reduce this damage if stroke sufferers receive immediate medical attention.
