Pope Francis' official cause of death revealed in announcement from Vatican
Fox News' Alex Hogan confirmed in an on-air report that the Pope had a stroke in the early morning of April 21, went into a coma and then had a heart attack.
The Pope's death follows years of ongoing health concerns, including a recent hospitalization for double pneumonia.
The official death announcement was made at the Pope's residence in the Chapel of St. Martha on Monday.
Pope Francis served for 12 years and advocated for causes including migrant rights, climate change and LGBTQ inclusion, Hogan reported.
The day before his death, the Pope met with Vice President JD Vance in Vatican City.
While the Pope's recent bout with pneumonia had sparked concerns about his health, the stroke event that led to his death came as a shock among his faithfuls, according to reports.
Strokes are the fifth leading cause of death in the United States and a primary cause of disability, per the American Stroke Association.
"Stroke is injury to the brain from impairment of blood flow," Dr. Sandeep Kumar, a neurologist at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, previously told Fox News Digital.
"A normal blood supply is vital for the brain to function normally and for the preservation of its structure. Interruption of the blood flow deprives the affected parts of the brain from receiving oxygen and other nutrients, with the result that these tissues start disintegrating rapidly."
While there are two main types of strokes, ischemic and hemorrhagic, ischemic strokes are the most common, accounting for 87% of all cases, according to the association.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health
"Blood flow to the brain can be compromised when … a cerebral artery is blocked off either by a blood clot or a plaque," Kumar said. "This is called an ischemic stroke."
In the case of a hemorrhagic stroke, the blood vessel supplying the brain ruptures, leading to bleeding within the brain tissue, according to Kumar.
"Bleeding can directly damage brain cells or deprive the surrounding tissues of receiving adequate oxygen and nutrients," he added.
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