Apoplexy is an old-fashioned medical term, which can be used to mean 'neurological impairment' or 'hemorrhage'. It can be used non-medically to mean a state of extreme rage. The word derives from the Greek word for 'seizure', apoplexia (), in the sense of being struck down.
Neurological impairment
Apoplexy has been used as a synonym for "stroke" because many stroke patients lose consciousness during the acute stage of the vascular compromise (either through bleeding or ischemia).
Historical meaning of the word
Historically, the word "apoplexy" was also used to describe any sudden death that began with a sudden loss of consciousness, especially one where the victim died within a matter of seconds after losing consciousness. Those reading historical documents should take into consideration the possibility that the word "apoplexy" may be used to describe the symptom of sudden loss of consciousness immediately preceding death and not an actual verified disease process. Sudden cardiac d