Early Warning Signs of Stroke

The information on early warning signs of stroke given has been taken from literature and intended for general use only. Please consult your Doctor for any medical problem.

What is Stroke?

Stroke is a result of a clot blocking the flow of blood to the brain. Ischemic stroke caused by blockage of blood flow to the brain.

Thrombotic stroke: The clot forms inside the brain. About 50% of the cases are in this type.

In thrombosis, a blood clot completely blocks an artery, which has been already narrowed by deposition of fatty substances and high blood cholesterol level.

Hemorrhagic stroke: The blood vessel in the brain bursts or start leaking.

Hemorrhagic stroke: This is generally caused by high blood pressure, ruptured an artery.

Embolic stroke: The clot formed in other part of the body and travels to the brain. About 20% of the cases are in this type.

Brain stroke is fast emerging as a silent killer of youngsters in India. Doctors blame this for high levels of stress and an erratic lifestyle causing disorders like diabetes, high cholesterol and hypertension.

Stroke Warning Signs/Symptoms

5 Warning Signs of Stroke

The 5 warning signs of stroke are given below.

Strokes come in two forms:

1. Ischemic Stroke: a clot blocks flow of blood in an artery or vessel.
   

2. Hemorrhagic Stroke: a blood vessel in the brain bursts.

In both the cases, due to the loss of blood the brain cells starve in the affected area, causing cells to die. If the cells of important centers of the organ die, then the ability to speak, walk or remember suffer. But if the stroke is mild, there may be no impact on the functions of the body.

The early warning signs of a stroke are:

1. Sudden weakness, numbness or paralysis of face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body, that does not go away in a few minutes
   

2. Sudden blurred or decreased vision in one or both eyes that does not clear with blinking

3. Sudden intense headache with no known cause.

4. Sudden development of difficulty in speaking or understanding simple statements.

5. Sudden severe dizziness or trouble in walking or loss of coordination or loss of balance.

If the symptoms goes away in a few minutes, they may be caused by a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or a temporary stroke, which is a strong sign of a major stroke to occur soon. If you have any of these signs without any reasons, consult your Doctor. TIA symptoms should be taken seriously as they are the warning signs of a brain stroke.

Simple Test for Stroke

FAST is an easy way to remember the signs of stroke. It refers to: Ffacial weakness, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty and Time to act. The FAST is a simple test for stroke. It involves three simple questions:

Face: can the person smile? Has the mouth dropped?

Arms: Can the person raise both the arms?

Speech: Can the person speak clearly and understand what you say?

Time: Act fast and call ambulance immediately if the person has difficulty in any of these.

Quick and Immediate action can save the life or severe disability.

In a research reported in the Medical Journal of the American Academy of Neurology, on 26 Dec 2007 by Bruce Ovbiagele of UCLA Medical Centre in Los Angeles says that people with high triglycerides and elevated "non-high density lipoprotein cholesterol" were more likely to have an ischemic stroke than those with low levels of these fats in the blood.

Stroke Is Preventable