Executive SummaryStroke may be classified into two major categories, ischemic and hemorrhagic. Ischemic stroke can be further classified as thrombotic or embolic, depending on its origin. Of the two types, thrombotic stroke is the most common, accounting for about two-thirds of all ischemic strokes and about half of all strokes among western populations.Strokes occur in men more often than in women, (about two to one, and particularly at younger ages) but women more often die as a result of a stroke. In fact, stroke is the second-leading cause of death in American women ages 45 to 64, killing more females than breast cancer.Signs are common in thrombotic events within a few hours, but may take a few days to fully evolve. In contrast, embolic strokes and intracerebral hemorrhage develop very rapidly and without warning.Central nervous system diseases differ from other diseases because unlike other tissues, the brain and spinal cord do not “heal”. Damage to these organs is irreversible and results in loss of whatever function the damaged nerves controlled. Moreover, brain function is usually lost in the reverse order to which it developed. Accordingly, “higher functions” such as reasoning, cognition and social skills are the first functions lost in diseases such as Alzheimer's because these were the last functions to develop.Stroke can be viewed as a neurodegenerative disorder arising from vascular trauma due to chronic disease development. As such, there are multiple points for therapeutic intervention. Treatment can either be from a stroke prevention aspect (prophylactic), or as intervention after the event has occurred. Intervention itself has two components; issues dealing with blood flow and CNS tissue damage. In the case of ischemic stroke, restoration of blood flow is of critical importance. For hemorrhagic stroke, preventing further bleeding and managing the resulting cerebral edema is the main focus.Most success to date has been in stroke prevention as it has been the path of least resistance compared to the more problematic CNS damage arena. While mainly indicated for elevated blood pressure, the antihypertensive agents have had an impact on stroke reduction. The currently available statin class of cholesterol-lowering agents received primary indications for stroke reoccurrence, and have a solid hold on the market. More interestingly, aspirin (antiplatelet) remains to be one of the most effective, (efficacy, safety and price), agents currently available for stroke prophylaxis.