Symptoms of Stroke

List of symptoms of Stroke:

The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Stroke includes the 33 symptoms listed below:

• Sudden onset of symptoms - some strokes come on quickly
• Gradual onset of symptoms over hours or days - some strokes take time to onset
• Hemiparesis
• Hemiplegia
• One-sided numbness
• One-sided weakness
• One-sided paralysis
• Temporary limb weakness
• Limb tingling
• Confusion
• Trouble speaking
• Trouble understanding speech
• Trouble seeing in one eye
• Trouble seeing in both eyes
• Dim vision
• Loss of vision
• Trouble walking
• Dizziness
• Loss of balance
• Falls
• Loss of coordination
• Sudden severe headache
• Noisy breathing
• Transient Ischemic Attack - a TIA may be a precursor to full stroke
• Loss of consciousness
• Disturbance of consciousness
• Less common stroke symptoms
  • Sudden nausea
  • Fever
  • Vomiting
  • Fainting
  • Convulsions
  • Coma

Note that Stroke symptoms usually refers to various symptoms known to a patient, but the phrase Stroke signs may refer to those signs only noticable by a doctor.

More ways to research these symptoms: To research other symptoms use the symptom center, or to research causes of more than one symptom in combination, try our multi-symptom search.

Research More About Stroke

Do I have Stroke?

• Stroke: Introduction
• Stroke: Diagnostic Testing to confirm diagnosis
• Home Diagnostic Testing
• Alternative diagnoses and misdiagnosis for Stroke
• Failure to Diagnose Stroke
• Hidden Causes of Stroke
• How serious is it?
• Treatments for Stroke
• More about Stroke

Home Diagnostic Testing

Home medical tests related to Stroke:

• Fatigue: Related Home Tests:
  • Home Anemia Tests
  • Home Thyroid Function Tests
  • Home Adrenal Function Tests
  • Home Calcium Deficiency Tests
  • Home HIV Tests

Wrongly Diagnosed with Stroke?

The list of other diseases or medical conditions that may be on the differential diagnosis list of alternative diagnoses for Stroke includes:

• Diabetic hypoglycemia - a diabetic's insulin or antidiabetic pills may cause a "hypo" that may resemble a stroke.
• Hypoglycemia

• Botulism food poisoning
• Carbon monoxide poisoning
• Convulsions

See the full list of 15 alternative diagnoses for Stroke

More about symptoms of Stroke:

More information about symptoms of Stroke and related conditions:

• Other diseases with similar symptoms and common misdiagnoses
• Tests to determine if these are the symptoms of Stroke
• Symptoms that may be caused by complications of Stroke
• Underlying causes of Stroke
• Associated conditions for Stroke
• Risk factors for Stroke

Other Possible Causes of these Symptoms

Click on any of the symptoms below to see a full list of other causes including diseases, medical conditions, toxins, drug interactions, or drug side effect causes of that symptom.

• Coma - see all causes of Coma
• Confusion - see all causes of Confusion
• Convulsions - see all causes of Convulsions
• Dim vision - see all causes of Vision loss
• Disturbance of consciousness - see all causes of Unconsciousness
• Dizziness - see all causes of Dizziness
• Fainting - see all causes of Fainting
• Falls - see all causes of Falls
• Fever - see all causes of Fever
• Hemiparesis - see all causes of Hemiparesis
• Hemiplegia - see all causes of Hemiplegia
• Less common stroke symptoms - see all causes of Stroke symptoms
• Limb tingling - see all causes of Limb symptoms
• Loss of balance - see all causes of Loss of balance
• Loss of consciousness - see all causes of Syncope
• Loss of coordination - see all causes of Loss of coordination
• Loss of vision - see all causes of Loss of vision
• Noisy breathing - see all causes of Breathing symptoms
• One-sided numbness - see all causes of Numbness
• One-sided paralysis - see all causes of Hemiparesis
• One-sided weakness - see all causes of Weakness
• Sudden nausea - see all causes of Nausea
• Sudden onset of symptoms
• Sudden severe headache - see all causes of Headache
• Temporary limb weakness - see all causes of Weakness
• Transient Ischemic Attack - see all causes of Stroke symptoms
• Trouble seeing in both eyes - see all causes of Vision loss
• Trouble seeing in one eye - see all causes of Vision loss
• Trouble speaking - see all causes of Speech symptoms
• Trouble understanding speech - see all causes of Cognitive impairment
• Trouble walking - see all causes of Walking symptoms
• Vomiting - see all causes of Vomiting

Medical Books Online about Stroke

Medical Books Excerpts Excerpts of published medical book chapters related to Stroke are available from published medical books for more detailed information about Stroke.

Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Related videos for Stroke

Patient Surveys for Stroke

• Patient Profile Survey
  Take Survey  View Results
• Survey about the symptoms of your Stroke
  Take Survey  View Results

Symptoms of Stroke: Online Medical Books

16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE! Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration, for more information about the symptoms of Stroke.

Stroke: Signs and Symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))

Depending on area affected, aphasia, hemiparesis, dysphasia, pupillary changes, sensory changes, weakness, confusion, amnesia, slurred speech

READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Stroke: Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)

Signs and symptoms of stroke vary, depending on the artery affected (and, consequently, the portion of the brain it supplies), the severity of damage, and the extent of collateral circulation that develops to help the brain compensate for decreased blood supply.

If the stroke occurs in the left hemisphere, it produces symptoms on the right side; if it occurs in the right hemisphere, it produces symptoms on the left side. However, a stroke that causes cranial nerve damage produces signs of cranial nerve dysfunction on the same side as the hemorrhage.

Symptoms are usually classified according to the artery affected:

❑ middle cerebral artery: aphasia, dysphasia, visual field cuts, and hemiparesis on the affected side (more severe in the face and arm than in the leg)

❑ carotid artery: weakness, paralysis, numbness, sensory changes, and visual disturbances on the affected side; altered level of consciousness; bruits; headaches; aphasia; and ptosis

❑ vertebrobasilar artery: weakness on the affected side, numbness around the lips and mouth, visual field cuts, diplopia, poor coordination, dysphagia, slurred speech, dizziness, amnesia, and ataxia

❑ anterior cerebral artery: confusion, weakness and numbness (especially in the leg) on the affected side, incontinence, loss of coordination, impaired motor and sensory functions, and personality changes

❑ posterior cerebral arteries: visual field cuts, sensory impairment, dyslexia, coma, and cortical blindness. Usually, there’s no paralysis.

Symptoms can also be classified as premonitory, generalized, and focal. Premonitory symptoms (such as drowsiness, dizziness, headache, and mental confusion) are rare. Generalized signs and symptoms (such as headache, vomiting, mental impairment, seizures, coma, nuchal rigidity, fever, and disorientation) are typical. Focal symptoms (such as sensory and reflex changes) reflect the site of hemorrhage or infarction and may worsen.

READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Article Excerpts About 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: