Two Kinds of Stroke: Common Signs, Different Treatments 

Dr. Deaver Shattuck, Stroke Medical Director at Blount Memorial Hospital in Tennessee, says that while there are several common signs and symptoms that occur with a stroke, there are two very different types of strokes. 

"You have a stroke that cuts off blood supply to the brain, and you have the kind of stroke where you actually bleed into the brain," he says. A stroke where blood supply is cut off is known as an ischemic stroke and typically is caused by a blood clot obstructing blood flow to the brain. According to the American Heart Association, 87 percent of all stroke cases are ischemic. 

Hemorrhagic strokes happen when a weakened blood vessel ruptures and bleeds into the brain. This is most commonly seen in patients with high blood pressure whose veins are under more pressure than normal people. Dr. Shattuck notes that hemorrhagic strokes "...are much more deadly and can result in more disabilities for those patients, mostly because there just aren't many effective therapies for them."