Cerebral palsy, or CVA, is damage to the brain that occurs from an injury, malpractice, or disease. It can often be mistaken for a stroke or heart attack because it can also cause loss of consciousness, dizziness, and slurred speech. Like a stroke, cerebral palsy is caused by a blood clot or a blood leak into the affected brain region, or by a brain infection or tumor. However, it's important to understand the difference between these two because the symptoms and treatments for stroke and CVA are very different.
Stroke is often termed a heart attack or even a cerebrovascular accident (CVA), which is a misnomer since it is not actually caused by a lack of circulation to the heart. It's more like a stroke in that it is a result of a blood clot or leak into the affected brain region; both causes cause a reduction in oxygenation, which triggers a series of events that result in permanent injury or death. CVA is generally caused by a ruptured or bleeding artery, a direct blow to the head, or as more likely, repetitive trauma to the head. While these injuries will definitely cause symptoms, the symptoms of CVA are less clear-cut because it can occur without apparent cause. Some symptoms of CVA include seizures, unconsciousness, partial paralysis, clumsiness, headache, dizziness, nausea, fever, tightness in the chest, and vomiting.
The difference between CVA and stroke is that stroke can happen to anyone, while some people only get CVA when they've had a previous stroke or heart attack. However, most strokes have some sort of identifiable causes, such as decreased blood flow to the brain, which can mimic CVA if the blood flow to the arm is compromised. Another way that CVA may mimic a stroke is if the nerve that controls the arm movement is damaged. If this happens, then patients may experience numbness, tingling, or a difficulty in motion. However, it's important to note that not all strokes require treatment and, in fact, many people actually recover completely from strokes that don't require any medical attention at all.
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