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Cerebral ischemia is a condition where the brain is deprived of oxygen and glucose due to a loss of blood flow, often caused by a stroke. This can lead to hypoxia and necrosis, causing brain damage. Treatment includes medications like aspirin to prevent future strokes.
All organs in the body, especially the brain, rely on an adequate supply of oxygenated blood. There are some conditions and diseases, however, that cause a loss of blood flow to the brain, depriving it of oxygen and glucose. This loss of blood flow is called cerebral ischemia.
The most common cause of cerebral ischemia is a stroke. A stroke is a focal neurological deficit that occurs when the vessels that supply blood to the brain become blocked or begin to bleed, resulting in an occlusive stroke or hemorrhagic stroke. Occlusive strokes occur due to a thrombus, or blood clot, in the vessels that supply blood to the brain, while hemorrhagic strokes are usually the result of ongoing high blood pressure.
Cerebral ischemia causes a reduction in the oxygen and glucose supplied to the brain and, as a result, toxic metabolites, such as lactic acid, cannot be removed. Once the supply of oxygenated blood to the brain is reduced, even a brief loss of consciousness, called syncope, can occur. A lack of oxygen to the brain due to cerebral ischemia is called hypoxia. Hypoxia can permanently destroy neurons by a process called necrosis, which can lead to brain damage. Necrotic cell death occurs when a cell membrane is rapidly destroyed and, on autopsy, the cell membrane appears softer in texture.
Two different types of cerebral ischemia can occur due to a stroke: focal cerebral ischemia and global cerebral ischemia. An individual suffering from focal cerebral ischemia will still have some degree of circulation to parts of the brain; however, a patient with global ischemia will have no blood flow to any area of the brain. Transient ischemic attack (TIA) is the term applied to ischemic symptoms that are focal and last for a short period of time. These attacks can precede the stroke but can also occur independently and are usually the result of a vascular disease, such as atherothrombosis. Recognizing and treating a TIA early is very important, as a patient may be at risk of developing a cerebral infarction or stroke in the future.
There are many different medications prescribed to TIA patients. One such treatment is aspirin, which is effective in preventing embolic and thrombotic strokes. Aspirin works by reducing and preventing platelet aggregation. If patients are unable to tolerate this drug, the platelet aggregate inhibitor clopidogrel or other similar drugs are also effective.
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