Stroke WITHOUT the usual risk factors
I have CADASIL (Cerebral Autosomal Dominant Arteriopathy with Subcortical Infarcts and Leukoencephalopathy). It’s a rare degenerative neurological disorder that causes, among other health issues, stroke.
One of the weird facets of CADASIL is that NONE of the usual risk factors are required in order to have a stroke. You can have the “ideal” blood pressure, pure arteries (no arteriosclerosis), optimum healthy diet and exercise program, a healthy heart, a wonderful stress management program and yet...
People with CADASIL have compromised arterial walls, whereby vessel walls become progressively weakened over time. The tiny arterioles in the deep parts of the brain are most susceptible.
Eventually, one or more of these arterioles will occlude (collapse or disintegrate), with no other precipitating factors involved, just the genetic mutation one was born with. A stroke will then occur - there is no clot, no haemorrhage.
Post stroke, over the next few days, brain tissue surrounding the stroke site will die off, leaving a hole (lacune in French, where the phenomenon was first observed and described). Hence, the term lacunar stroke.