What is another term for a stroke, often referred to in a clinical context as a cerebrovascular accident?

A cerebrovascular accident (CVA) is commonly known as a stroke. The term "apoplexy" is a historical term that refers to a sudden loss of consciousness or motor control, typically due to a stroke or bleeding in the brain. In clinical contexts, apoplexy has largely been replaced by the terms "stroke" and "cerebrovascular accident," but it retains the same underlying concept of a sudden vascular event affecting the brain.

In contrast, the other terms do not accurately describe a stroke. A seizure refers to a sudden, uncontrolled electrical disturbance in the brain that can lead to changes in behavior, movements, or consciousness, and it is not synonymous with stroke. Syncope, often referred to as fainting, is a temporary loss of consciousness due to reduced blood flow to the brain, which is different from a stroke's mechanism. Hemorrhage refers specifically to excessive bleeding, which can be a cause of a stroke (if it occurs in the brain), but it does not encompass all types of strokes, particularly ischemic strokes where blood flow is blocked rather than bleeding occurs. This makes "apoplexy" the appropriate alternative term for stroke in this context.