The symptoms of a stroke depend primarily on which part of the brain has been damaged. They appear without warning. Someone is talking, laughing, doing the daily chores, and suddenly grabs his head or loses his balance, as if he stumbles. He sometimes collapses, speaks unclearly or complains of visual disturbances. Do not underestimate these symptoms as they can be symptoms of a stroke.

The symptoms of strokeare quite distinctive, but it is not so easy to spot them right away. A stroke, by damaging the cells in any of the brain's movement, speech, or sensory centers, can cause weakness or paralysis in the arms, legs, or speech problems. If it touched the right hemisphere, disturbances appear on the left side of the body (and vice versa).

Common symptoms of stroke

  • One-sided weakness or numbness in the limbs
  • Impaired speech understanding or inability to utter words
  • Very slurred speech (gibberish)
  • Vision problems, especially in one eye
  • Uncertain gait, like a drunk man's
  • A sharp, stabbing headache (definitely stronger than the one you know)

On average, someone in Poland has a stroke every 8 minutes

Symptoms of hemorrhagic stroke

The onset of a haemorrhagic stroke is usually preceded by a severe, "lightning" headache, vomiting and convulsions. More than half of patients lose consciousness. The brain swells most often. Patients have significant disturbances of consciousness, it is difficult for them to breathe. Circulatory arrest may occur. .

Symptoms of ischemic stroke

Ischemic stroke is often preceded by headaches and dizziness. Sometimes they are accompanied by temporary paresis of the arms or legs, difficulties in speaking or the so-called hypersensitivity to touch in various parts of the body.

If a blood clot forms in a cerebral blood vessel, symptoms can gradually build up over a period of hours or even days. In the case of a stroke caused by embolism (e.g. a torn off clot carried with blood has blocked the cerebral artery), there are almost no initial symptoms. The patient rarely loses consciousness.

Read also: Diet after stroke. How to feed a patient after a stroke?

Symptoms of Stroke: Simple Test

If you see such changes in a loved one, ask them to:

  • smiled- if you see that she only raises half of her mouth, the other part of her face may be paralyzed,
  • she raised both hands above her head at the same time - if she cannot do it, you have proof that the paresis has affected half of the body,
  • repeated a simple sentence, e.g. today is nice weather - if she speaks indistinctly or cannot utter a word at all - call an ambulance immediately.

Category:

Cardiology