Commonly referred to as a “stroke”, a Cerebrovascular Accident results from the interruption of blood flow to the brain. The deprivation of oxygen and essential nutrients causes brain cells to die, leading to permanent damage (speech or writing difficulty, memory problems, bodily paralysis to a greater or lesser extent), or even sudden death.

In France, CVA is the leading cause of acquired disability in adults and accounts for nearly 130,000 new cases every year.

World Cerebrovascular Accident Day is organised on 29 October each year and helps raise public awareness regarding the importance of immediate care for victims from onset of initial symptoms (confusion, speech problems, trouble understanding, dizziness, etc.).

Inserm researchers are also extremely active in this area and are striving to find new strategies for prevention, diagnosis and treatment.