Stroke: Medical aspects

This chapter deals with cerebral infarction and cerebral hemorrhage. The symptoms of cerebral infarction and cerebral hemorrhage may be rather similar, but an important and major difference lies in the acute treatment and in the prevention of a second stroke. This chapters will deal with symptoms and phenomena of stroke, and how they affect the daily life of the patient, even long after the event. Preventing a next stroke is very important in people who have already experienced one. The second stroke is often the cause of more severe constraints and a much lower quality of life. We will also discuss how preventive measures, such as physical exercise, quitting smoking, and especially medication, can help prevent a new stroke.