CVA stands for cerebrovascular accident and is defined as death of brain cells due to lack of oxygen caused by blockage or rupture.

• A. Blockage of the coronary arteries.
• B. Death of brain cells due to lack of oxygen caused by blockage or rupture.
• C. Bleeding within the brain tissue due to trauma.
• D. An autoimmune disease affecting blood vessels.

Answer: (B)

The main concept is recognizing what a cerebrovascular accident (CVA) is and how it injures the brain. A CVA, or stroke, occurs when brain cells die because brain tissue is deprived of oxygen due to impaired blood flow from a blocked vessel (ischemic stroke) or from a ruptured vessel (hemorrhagic stroke). The description “death of brain cells due to lack of oxygen caused by blockage or rupture” matches this definition precisely. Other options describe conditions not about stroke: blockage of the coronary arteries is a heart attack; bleeding within the brain due to trauma is a traumatic brain injury, not a stroke; and an autoimmune disease affecting blood vessels is vasculitis, a vascular inflammatory condition that isn’t defined as CVA.