A Summary of Stroke Symptoms
Posted by Medical Fan - 23/12/08 at 08:12 amA Summary of Stroke Symptoms
Thanks to medical television shows and other methods of information distribution, you probably know a few things about stroke and its effects. The following is a quick summary about stroke and its symptoms.
A stroke occurs when a blockage or disruption suddenly occurs in the brain’s blood circulation. This in turn causes a myriad of effects and symptoms in the affected person. If stroke symptoms are not recognized early, it can result in many serious complications, one of them being death.
Depending on the area of the brain that is affected, strokes can present in a number of ways. Generally, the more recognizable stroke symptoms include problems with vision, poor control of movement and balance, and confusion. Problems with vision can involve only one eye or both and may affect the entire field of vision or just a small part of it. Balance and limb control issues, on the other hand, include vertigo and difficulty with standing and walking. Sudden weakness or paralysis of a limb or side of the body can also occur, and in some cases, the paralysis affects all four limbs. Numbness and paralysis can also occur in the person’s face, usually affecting only one side.
Stroke symptoms specific to speech include slurring of words and inability to speak or understand words. Usually, the patient does not recognize the difference in his speech.
Stroke patients can also present with more generic symptoms like headache, nausea and vomiting, as well as a change in the level of their consciousness.