Word: blood
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Over the next few days, his doctors will perform a series of tests to determine what caused the seizure. One likely reason could be his heart; last October, Kennedy underwent surgery to clear blockages in his left carotid artery, one of two major blood vessels in the neck that shunt blood from the heart to the brain. Plaque buildup in these vessels, says Dr. Roger Blumenthal, director of preventive cardiology at Johns Hopkins Hospital - who has not treated the Senator - generally means that the heart vessels may contain considerable plaque as well. If pieces of these plaques break...
...October, they operated on the carotid artery on the left side of Kennedy's neck to clear the plaque that was building up inside it. The concern: that some of that arterial plaque might break off and form a clot in the Senator's brain, interrupting the flow of blood to his cerebrum. After the operation, he was probably also given aspirin or other medications to thin his blood and decrease the risk that he would form a clot...
...when Kennedy was hospitalized this morning on Cape Cod with "stroke-like symptoms," there was no time to waste. If he has indeed suffered a stroke - which is still not clear - then every second that blood flow to the brain was interrupted, the risk of serious neurological damage increases...
...strokes are caused by clots. But they can also occur if there is bleeding directly into the brain. This second kind of stroke, called a hemorrhagic stroke, is the most difficult kind to recover from. The risk of a hemorrhagic stroke increases a bit if you are put on blood thinners. This is apparently what happened to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who was given blood thinners after he suffered an earlier minor stroke and is still in a coma. News reports have not indicated whether Sen. Kennedy is on medication to thin his blood...
...other hand, living past the age of 60 also increases your chances of suffering a seizure that may or may not be related to a stroke. Seizures in older adults sometimes occur as a reaction to medication, to alcohol withdrawal or because of problems with the blood supply in the brain that hasn't yet risen to the level of a stroke...