Sometimes a stroke happens gradually, but you're likely to have one or more sudden symptoms like these: Numbness or weakness in your face, arm, or leg, especially on one side. Confusion or trouble understanding other people.
For some people, stroke symptoms come on gradually. For example, you may have mild weakness at first. Over several hours, you may not be able to move the arm and leg on one side of your body. If you or someone else has stroke symptoms, call 911 or other emergency services right away.
Sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body. Sudden confusion, trouble speaking, or difficulty understanding speech. Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes. Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance, or lack of coordination.
Some people will experience symptoms such as headache, numbness or tingling several days before they have a serious stroke. One study found that 43% of stroke patients experienced mini-stroke symptoms up to a week before they had a major stroke.
One of the most common stroke mimics is a seizure, which researchers believe account for as many as 20% of all stroke mimics. Other common stroke mimics include migraines, syncope, sepsis, brain tumor and metabolic derangement (low sodium or low blood sugar).
Pre-strokes or mini strokes are the common terms used to describe a transient ischemic attack (TIA). Unlike a full blown stroke, a TIA only lasts a few minutes and does not cause permanent damage. Nevertheless it is a warning sign that a possible stroke may be coming in the future.
Warning signs of an ischemic stroke may be evident as early as seven days before an attack and require urgent treatment to prevent serious damage to the brain, according to a study of stroke patients published in the March 8, 2005 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Face drooping – Your face has started to droop or go slack on one side. Arm weakness – This weakness actually applies to your face, your arm, or your leg on either side. Speech difficulty – Your words are slurred or jumbled and you're having trouble understanding others. Time to call 911!
The signs and symptoms of a TIA resemble those found early in a stroke and may include sudden onset of: Weakness, numbness or paralysis in the face, arm or leg, typically on one side of the body. Slurred or garbled speech or difficulty understanding others. Blindness in one or both eyes or double vision.
Stroke symptoms can develop slowly over hours or days. If you have a ministroke, also known as transient ischemic attack (TIA), symptoms are temporary and usually improve within hours. In this case, you may blame sudden symptoms on stress, a migraine, or nerve problems.
The signs and symptoms of a stroke vary from person to person, but usually begin suddenly. As different parts of your brain control different parts of your body, your symptoms will depend on the part of your brain affected and the extent of the damage.
Signs and symptoms of severe stroke have been shown to favor early hospital arrival, whereas those of mild stroke often result in delayed presentation.
Drink a lot of water: You should drink at least five glasses of water per day, and this will reduce your risk of stroke by 53%, according to a recent study by Loma Linda University.
The first stage is flaccidity , and occurs immediately post-stroke. Muscles will be weak, limp, or even "floppy." Because a stroke often affects one side more than the other, this flaccidity may be limited to just one side.
This meta-analysis of 11 816 strokes provides strong evidence that the onset of stroke symptoms has a circadian variation, with a higher risk in the early morning hours (6 am to noon), and lower risk during the nighttime period (midnight to 6 am).
Symptoms of a TIA come on suddenly. You may feel perfectly fine one minute and then suddenly develop difficulty speaking or moving one side of your body. Sometimes the symptoms will come and go several times in a short period of time.
Blood tests for stroke. There is no blood test that can diagnose a stroke. However, in the hospital, your doctor or nurse may do a series of blood tests to learn the cause of your stroke symptoms: Complete blood count (CBC).
What does that mean? A. A silent stroke refers to a stroke that doesn't cause any noticeable symptoms. Most strokes are caused by a clot that blocks a blood vessel in the brain. The blockage prevents blood and oxygen from reaching that area, causing nearby brain cells to die.
Background and Purpose— Although stroke is strongly associated with hypertension, some individuals with normal blood pressure (BP) experience a stroke.