Circulatory System
The purpose of the circulatory system is to deliver oxygen and nutrients
throughout the body and to remove waste products.
Your arteries are muscular tubes that vary in size and extend into all
parts of your body. They carry oxygen and nutrient enriched blood to your
muscles and organs.
Veins are collapsible tubes that carry waste products and deoxygenated
blood from your muscles and organs back to the heart and lungs.
Atherosclerosis
Athersclerosis is a build up of plaque within the circulatory system.
This plaque restricts or may even block the blood flow to your heart, arms,
legs or brain.
Cerebrovascular Accident (Stroke)
A stroke results from a decrease or interruption of blood flow to the
brain. There are three types of stroke: embolic, hemorrhagic and thrombolitic.
Embolic stroke occurs when a small clot
breaks away from a diseased area and stops within a blood vessel in your
brain. This causes a sudden cessation of blood flow to that part of your
brain.
Hemorrhagic stroke occurs when an artery in
your brain ruptures and causes a sudden cessation of blood flow to that part
of your brain.
Thrombolitic stroke occurs when there is a
build up of plaque within one of the blood vessels of your brain which
decreases or ceases blood flow to that part of your brain.
