What best defines a cerebrovascular accident (CVA), also known as a stroke?

What best defines a cerebrovascular accident (CVA), also known as a stroke?

• A. Sudden impairment of brain circulation in one or more blood vessels causing brain damage.
• B. A genetic disorder causing progressive muscle weakness.
• C. A temporary mood disturbance due to dehydration.
• D. A chronic degenerative joint disease.

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that a stroke is a sudden disruption of blood flow to part of the brain, causing brain tissue damage. When an artery is blocked or a blood vessel bleeds, brain cells are deprived of oxygen and nutrients and begin to die within minutes, leading to the neurological deficits seen after a cerebrovascular accident. That’s why the best description is a sudden impairment of brain circulation in one or more vessels resulting in brain damage. The other options describe conditions that are not acute brain injuries: a genetic neuromuscular disorder would involve the muscles, dehydration-related mood changes aren’t a brain injury, and chronic degenerative joint disease affects joints, not brain tissue.

The key idea is that a stroke is a sudden disruption of blood flow to part of the brain, causing brain tissue damage. When an artery is blocked or a blood vessel bleeds, brain cells are deprived of oxygen and nutrients and begin to die within minutes, leading to the neurological deficits seen after a cerebrovascular accident. That’s why the best description is a sudden impairment of brain circulation in one or more vessels resulting in brain damage. The other options describe conditions that are not acute brain injuries: a genetic neuromuscular disorder would involve the muscles, dehydration-related mood changes aren’t a brain injury, and chronic degenerative joint disease affects joints, not brain tissue.