Stroke Symptoms – What to Know

• Weakness or paralysis: Loss of strength of one arm or leg or one side of the body.
• Numbness: Loss of feeling or “pins and needles” on one side of the body.
• Lack of comprehension: Trouble understanding what someone is saying.
• Vision problems: Sudden loss of vision in one or both eyes or sudden double vision.
• Problems with balance and coordination: Sudden change in balance and difficulty with coordination.
• Headache: Sudden, explosive, severe headache.

Every 45 seconds, someone in the United States has a stroke. A stroke can happen when:

• A blood vessel carrying blood to the brain is blocked by a blood clot. This is called an ischemic stroke.
• A blood vessel breaks open, causing blood to leak into the brain. This is a hemmorhagic stroke.

If blood flow is stopped for longer than a few seconds, the brain cannot get blood and oxygen. Brain cells can die, causing permanent damage.

Stroke Risks

High blood pressure is the number one reason that you might have a stroke. The risk of stroke is also increased by age, family history of stroke, smoking, diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart disease.

Certain medications increase the chances of clot formation, and therefore your chances for a stroke. Birth control pills can cause blood clots, especially in woman who smoke and who are older than 35.

Men have more strokes than women. But, women have a risk of stroke during pregnancy and the weeks immediately after pregnancy.

Cocaine use, alcohol abuse, head injury, and bleeding disorders increase the risk of bleeding into the brain.

Sources: MediResource, Inc. and American Heart Association