Signs of Stroke
Symptoms of Stroke
The list of medical symptoms mentioned in various sources
for Stroke may include:
List of 33
Stroke Symptoms
Note that Stroke symptoms usually refers to various medical symptoms known to a patient,
but the phrase Stroke signs may often refer to those signs
that are only noticable by a doctor.
Signs or Symptoms of Stroke:
NINDS Stroke Information Page: NINDS (Excerpt)
The symptoms of stroke are easy
to spot: sudden numbness or weakness, especially on one side of the body;
sudden confusion or trouble speaking or understanding speech; sudden
trouble seeing in one or both eyes; sudden trouble walking; dizziness; or
loss of balance or coordination.
(Source: excerpt from NINDS Stroke Information Page: NINDS)
Keep your heart and blood vessels healthy: NIDDK (Excerpt)
A stroke happens when part of your brain is not getting enough blood
and stops working. Depending on the part of the brain that is damaged, a
stroke can cause
- Sudden weakness or numbness of your face, arm, or leg on one side of
your body.
- Sudden confusion, trouble talking, or trouble understanding.
- Sudden dizziness, loss of balance, or trouble walking.
- Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes or sudden double
vision.
- Sudden severe headache.
Sometimes, one or more of these warning signs may happen and then
disappear. You might be having a "mini-stroke," also called a TIA
(transient [TRAN-see-unt] ischemic [is-KEE-mik] attack). If you have any
of these warning signs, tell your doctor right away. (Source: excerpt from Keep your heart and blood vessels healthy: NIDDK)
Headache - Hope Through Research: NINDS (Excerpt)
Headache may accompany several conditions that can
lead to stroke, including hypertension or high blood pressure,
arteriosclerosis, and heart disease. Headaches are also associated with
completed stroke, when brain cells die from lack of sufficient
oxygen. (Source: excerpt from Headache - Hope Through Research: NINDS)
Fact Sheet Heart Disease and Stroke in Women: NWHIC (Excerpt)
Symptoms of a Stroke Include:
- Sudden weakness or numbness of parts of one
side of the body usually the face, arm, or leg.
- Sudden dimness or loss of vision,
particularly in one eye.
- Loss of speech, or trouble talking or
understanding speech.
- Sudden, severe headaches with no known
cause.
- Unexplained dizziness, unsteadiness, or
sudden falls.
Not all of these symptoms occur during a stroke.
Symptoms depend on the location and amount of damaged cells. (Source: excerpt from Fact Sheet Heart Disease and Stroke in Women: NWHIC)
Stroke: NWHIC (Excerpt)
Stroke symptoms occur suddenly (within minutes or hours) and often
there are two or more symptoms. These are the most common signs of stroke:
-
Sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm, or leg,
especially on one side of the body
-
Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes, including
blurred or double vision
-
Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, or loss of balance or
coordination
-
Sudden confusion or trouble speaking or understanding
speech
-
Sudden severe headache with no known cause, often followed
by other stroke symptoms
Other important but less common stroke symptoms include sudden nausea,
fever and vomiting. Fainting, convulsions or coma may also occur.
If you have or notice another person having one or more of these
symptoms, call 911 and get emergency treatment right away! It is important
for a person having a stroke to get to a hospital within an hour, because
treatment must be started quickly to prevent death or severe brain damage.
(Source: excerpt from Stroke: NWHIC)
Stroke: NWHIC (Excerpt)
A stroke in the right hemisphere of the brain often causes paralysis in
the left side of the body. This is known as left hemiplegia. In
addition, a stroke in this part of the brain may cause:
-
Problems with spatial and perceptual abilities. For
example, the stroke survivor may misjudge distances and fall, or be
unable to guide her hands to pick up an object.
-
Impaired judgment and behavior. For example, she may try
to do things that she should not attempt to do, such as trying to drive
a car.
-
Problems with short-term memory. Although she may be able
to recount events from 30 years ago, she may be unable to remember what
she ate for breakfast that morning.
Someone who has had a left hemisphere stroke may have right hemiplegia,
paralysis of the right side of the body. She may also have:
-
Aphasia—speech and language problems.
-
Slow and cautious behavior, in contrast to the behavior of
a right-hemisphere stroke survivor. She may need a lot of help to
complete tasks.
-
Memory problems similar to those of right-hemisphere
stroke survivors. For example, she may have trouble learning new
information and have poor short-term memory.
A stroke that takes place in the cerebellum can cause:
-
Abnormal reflexes of the head and torso
-
Coordination and balance problems
-
Dizziness, nausea and vomiting.
Strokes that occur in the brain stem are especially devastating. The
brain stem is the area of the brain that controls all of our involuntary
"life-support" functions, such as breathing rate, blood pressure and
heartbeat. The brain stem also controls abilities such as eye movements,
hearing, speech and swallowing. Since impulses generated in the brain's
hemispheres must travel through the brain stem on their way to the arms
and legs, patients with a brain stem stroke may also develop paralysis in
one or both sides of the body.
(Source: excerpt from Stroke: NWHIC)
Stroke Prevention and Treatment - Age Page - Health Information: NIA (Excerpt)
The warning signs for stroke are:
Sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg, especially on
one side of the body
Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or
coordination
Sudden severe headache with no known cause
Sometimes the warning signs last for only a few minutes and then
disappear. This could be a mini-stroke, called a transient
ischemic attack (TIA). Although they don't last long, TIAs are a
symptom of a medical problem. Don't ignore a TIA - see your doctor
right away. (Source: excerpt from Stroke Prevention and Treatment - Age Page - Health Information: NIA)
More Symptoms of Stroke:
More detailed symptom information may be found on the symptoms of Stroke article.
In addition to the above medical information, to get a full picture
of the possible signs or symptoms of this condition
and also possibly the signs and symptoms of its related medical conditions,
it may be necessary to examine symptoms
that may be
caused by:
Medical articles on signs and symptoms:
These general reference articles may be related
to medical signs and symptoms of disease in general:
What are the signs of Stroke?
The phrase "signs of Stroke" should, strictly speaking,
refer only to those signs and symptoms of Stroke that are not readily apparent to the patient.
The word "symptoms of Stroke" is the more general meaning; see symptoms of Stroke.
The signs and symptom information on this page
attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Stroke.
This medical information about signs and symptoms for Stroke has been gathered
from various sources,
may not be fully accurate,
and may not be the full list of Stroke signs or Stroke symptoms.
Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Stroke may vary on an individual basis for each patient.
Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they
are indeed Stroke symptoms.
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» Next page: Complications of Stroke
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