What Is Cerebrovascular Disease?

Cerebrovascular disease is the term applied to a large number of diseases with pathology in the blood vessels of the brain or the vessels supplying blood to the brain. Atherosclerosis is one of the conditions that can cause cerebrovascular disease. Another form of cerebrovascular disease includes aneurysms. In females with defective collagen, the weak branching points of arteries give rise to protrusions with a very thin covering of endothelium that can tear to bleed easily with minimal rise of blood pressure. Cerebrovascular disease, including Stroke, is the third-leading cause of death in the United States and a leading cause of disability among older Americans. Below is a simplified classification of cerebrovascular diseases where neuroprotection is required:

Cerebral ischemia
   Global cerebral ischemia due to cardiac arrest
   Focal cerebral infarction
   Carotid stenosis or occlusion leading to cerebral ischemia
Cerebral hemorrhage
   Hemorrhagic infarction
   Hypertensive hemorrhage
   Hemorrhage due to rupture of intracranial arteriovenous malformations
   Subarachnoid hemorrhage due to rupture of intracranial arterial aneuryms
Spinal stroke
   Cardiogenic thromboembolism
   Hypertensive encephalopathy
   Diseases of cerebral blood vessels: e.g., atherosclerosis, vasculitis

Stroke is the term commonly used to describe the sudden onset of focal neurological deficits such as weakness or paralysis due to disturbance of the blood flow to the brain. The term is applied loosely to cover ischemic and hemorrhagic episodes. An ischemic stroke occurs when a thrombus or an embolus blocks an artery to the brain, blocking or reducing the blood flow to the brain and consequently the transport of oxygen and glucose which are critical elements for brain function.