Is stroke cardiovascular disease? What causes strokes?

No. A stroke means you have had damage to a part of the brain caused either by bleeding from a brain artery or from a blockage of a brain artery. Since it involves arteries, a stroke is an example of the vascular group of cardiovascular diseases. Strokes cause about 160,000 deaths per year, or one every 3.3 minutes about one fourth as many as are caused by coronary artery disease.

What causes strokes? 

About two thirds of strokes are due to atherosclerotic plaques in the arteries of the brain (the cerebral arteries) which close down an artery by more than half and cause a blood clot to form that blocks the artery completely this is what is known as a cerebral thrombosis. There are three main cerebral arteries: the anterior, middle, and postenor cerebral arteries. Blockages due to clots occur in these major arteries or in their smaller branches. Strokes can also be caused by bleeding from a tear in the brain’s arteries these are called hemorrhagic strokes and are particularly common in those with high blood pressure.