Cerebral vascular diseases mainly occur in the following situations:
- The first type is caused by the blockage of clots formed around the brain’s blood vessels. Atherosclerosis and fatty deposits in the arteries can affect the brain’s blood vessels. Clots form in the brain arteries due to the deposition of these substances, causing obstructions in the blood supply to the brain tissue, resulting in damage to the brain tissue and thereby causing cerebral vascular diseases. The clot that blocks the blood flow in the vessel is called a thrombus, so medically, this type of cerebral vascular disease is called cerebral thrombosis. The part of the brain tissue that does not receive blood supply will undergo necrosis, which is medically called cerebral infarction or cerebral infarct. This is the most common cause of cerebral vascular disease.
- The second type is caused by the blockage of wandering clots. A clot that has detached from the heart or another part of the body flows into the cerebral vessels and gets blocked in a certain part of the brain, interrupting the blood supply at the blocked site and causing cerebral vascular disease. The result of this is the same as that of the fixed clot blockage in the cerebral artery. This type of cerebral vascular disease caused by wandering clots is called cerebral embolism in medicine.
- The third type is caused by intracranial arterial hemorrhage. It is usually caused by long-term hypertension, which can weaken the elasticity of the cerebral artery wall, causing rupture and bleeding into the brain tissue. This type of cerebral vascular disease is called cerebral hemorrhage or cerebral bleeding in medicine.
- The fourth type is caused by intracranial arterial aneurysms. These are caused by the bulging of the vessel wall like a balloon due to weak points in the cerebral artery wall. They mostly occur at the base of the brain, where the brain’s blood vessels are prone to rupture. When a brain arterial aneurysm ruptures, blood flows into the cerebrospinal fluid, causing this type of cerebral vascular disease, which is medically called subarachnoid hemorrhage.
There is another special type called Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA), also known as a transient ischemic attack. It is commonly referred to as a “mini-stroke” or “minor stroke”. It occurs when atherosclerotic plaques on the arterial wall rupture or small fragments enter small blood vessels, or when microvessels spasm, or when there are abnormalities in hemodynamics or blood rheology, leading to temporary disruption of cerebral blood circulation. This temporarily blocks blood flow and temporarily hinders the blood supply to the brain. Since cerebral ischemia in this case is temporary and does not result in complete vascular occlusion, it generally returns to normal within 24 hours.
In addition to the mentioned types, other conditions such as inflammation, blood disorders, malignant tumors, as well as the entry of air or fat into cerebral blood vessels causing embolism can also cause cerebrovascular diseases. These diseases and factors can damage, narrow, or block cerebral blood vessels, thereby affecting the blood supply to the brain and causing varying degrees of cerebral dysfunction. Prevention and early detection of these diseases are crucial in reducing the risk of cerebrovascular diseases.
In China, cerebrovascular diseases have become one of the common diseases among the elderly, imposing a significant burden on patients’ quality of life and their families and society. Therefore, it is of great significance to pay attention to the prevention and treatment of cerebrovascular diseases.