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Impairment
A general term used to describe loss of function for example weakness in an arm or leg, loss of sensation, loss of speech, or visual problems.

Incision
A cut made into the tissue of the body by a scalpel. Most incisions are made during surgery to get to tissue inside of the body to repair or remove it.

Incontinence
Loss of control of your bladder, bowel, or both (which is called double incontinence).  Continence problems can develop for different reasons and there are many different types of continence problems. About half of people admitted to hospital with stroke will have lost control of their bladder and a third will experience loss of bowel control.

Infarct/infarction
An infarction can happen anywhere in the body, but in relation to stroke, it describes an area of brain tissue that hasn’t received its blood supply and as a result it has been damaged. An infarct can be tiny or affect a larger part of the brain.

Insulin
The hormone insulin is produced by cells in the pancreas (a gland behind the stomach).  When glucose enters our blood, following a meal, the pancreas should automatically produce the right amount of insulin to move glucose into our cells so it can be used as energy. Insulin also controls the levels of glucose in our body, therefore stopping a build up of it. If you have problems producing insulin it can result in the condition diabetes.

Intracerebral haemorrhage
This is a type of stroke which happens when an artery inside the brain bursts so blood leaks out into the brain at a high pressure. Approximately 13 percent of all strokes happen in this way.

Involuntary movements
An uncontrolled movement of the body that occurs without any conscious choice or effort. The movement may occur spontaneously and it could be jerky, fast, slow, random or predictable.   

Ischaemia
An inadequate blood supply to an organ or tissue, usually a result of vessel walls being narrowed due to a build up of fatty material (atherosclerosis).

Ischaemic penumbra
A stroke causes some brain cells to die and others to become injured. The injured cells are often found around the main area of damage. This area of injured cells is known as the penumbra. These cells may heal in the first few days and weeks after the stroke which can cause some spontaneous recovery.

Ischaemic stroke
This type of stroke happens when a clot blocks an artery carrying blood to the brain. They account for 80 percent of all strokes. It can be caused when a blood clot forms in a main artery to the brain (cerebral thrombosis); from a blood clot which is formed elsewhere in the body and travels to the brain via the circulatory system (a cerebral embolism); or when the tiny blood vessels deep within the brain become blocked (a lacunar stroke).