CADASIL Awareness Day - 16 November 2017. Rare cause of stroke.

Today, 16 November 2017, is CADASIL Awareness Day.

CADASIL = Cerebral Autosominal Dominant Arteriopathy with Subcortical Infarcts and Leukoencephalopathy.

This is a rare - but probably well underdiagnosed - degenerative neurological disease inherited at the time of conception.

My stroke in February was directly caused by this disease, as were the almost intolerable migraines with aura that happened to me several times a year - every year - from the age of 26 through to 50.

The usual stroke risk factors are NOT required in CADASIL in order to have a stroke. A genetic defect means that fine arteries deep within the brain can collapse in on themselves - this closure of the artery is known as an occlusion. This causes a mild stroke and over the next few days, the affected brain tissue dies off, eventually leaving a hole (lacune) in that part of the brain - hence, the term lacunar stroke. Neither a blockage (clot) nor a haemorrhage (bleeding from a rupture) is responsible for a CADASIL infarct.

Repeat infarcts over time are possible as are microbleeds and/or TIAs but not inevitable.

Cognitive decline, leading to dementia of a lesser or greater degree, is one of the outcomes.

My mother and one of my sisters also have this ugly disease.

There is no treatment, their is no cure.

For more information, consider visiting www.cambridgestroke.com