Stroke – Symptoms

The most important stroke symptoms

Stroke causes various neurological disorders and failures. What type of these are and how severe they are depends, first and foremost, on which brain region is severely affected by the damage. The most important stroke symptoms are:

Paralysis, numbness

A common symptom of stroke is an acute weakness, paralysis or numbness on one side of the body. Typical is a drooping corner of the mouth, a paralyzed arm or a suddenly fallen foot. If the left half of the body is affected, this suggests a stroke in the right hemisphere. On the other hand, if the right side of the body shows symptoms of strokes such as numbness or paralysis, this indicates a left-sided stroke.

If all four extremities are paralyzed (tetraparesis), this speaks for a so-called basilaris thrombosis. By this one understands the closure of the Arterial basilar artery in the brain stem. This cerebral vessel is the result of the union of the two vertebral arteries. Basilar artery thrombosis is a form of brain stem infarction.

blurred vision

Stroke symptoms often affect the eyes as well: Double vision, blurred vision, and transient vision loss in one eye can be stroke signs if they occur quite suddenly. Often there is also a sudden half-sided visual field loss. The visual field is that part of the environment that you can see without moving the eyes or the head. If a part of this visual field – for example, the left side – suddenly fails, it can easily lead to falls or accidents because the person concerned does not see about a vehicle approaching from the left side.

Speech and language comprehension disorder

Sudden speech disorders are other potential stroke symptoms. It can vary in severity. Thus, a mild stroke may produce symptoms such as a halting, choppy language. Some sufferers suddenly turn syllables, use wrong letters, or speak blurry or loud. In severe cases, a stroke patient can no longer speak.

An abrupt speech intelligibility disorder may also indicate a stroke. The affected person can suddenly no longer understand (understand) what they say to him.

dizziness

Sudden dizziness with gait insecurity is also one of the possible stroke symptoms. Some of those affected perceive him as a giddler. That is, they feel as if they are driving carousels. Others, on the other hand, feel a swindle of vertigo: For them, the ground seems to sway like a ship on rough seas. Also, the feeling of rushing in an elevator quickly into the depth, is a possible sign of a stroke.

Symptoms such as balance problems and loss of coordination can accompany the dizziness.

Very strong headache

If suddenly a very strong headache sets in, whose violence is completely new and unknown to the person concerned, a stroke may also be behind it. Common nausea and vomiting pain are other possible stroke symptoms.

Two forms of stroke – same signs

Stroke usually arises because a brain region is suddenly insufficiently supplied with blood (ischemic stroke). The reason is usually a blood clot that clogs a vessel in the brain. In other cases, the apoplex is caused by a brain hemorrhage (haemorrhagic stroke).

Both forms trigger (though the same brain region is affected) the same stroke symptoms. This means that it is not enough to tell by the signs of a stroke what type of stroke it is. But in the case of an emergency this does not matter at first: If someone shows possible stroke symptoms, the emergency doctor must be alerted immediately!

Harbingers: Stroke often announces itself

Before an approaching stroke, there are often signs: Stroke announces about every third patient by a so-called Transient ischemic attack (TIA) at. By this one understands a temporary under-circulation in the brain. Their signs are basically the same as a stroke, such as sudden numbness or paralysis in one half of the body or sudden speech and vision problems. However, these TIA signs have completely disappeared after 24 hours at the latest – unlike the “real” signs of stroke.

Harbingers of a threatening stroke should be taken seriously and have to be informed immediately by the doctor. He can then immediately recommend suitable treatment measures, for example the use of anticoagulant drugs. This reduces the risk of a “true” stroke.

Do women have other stroke symptoms?

Some women and men may show different stroke symptoms. In addition to the typical signs such as paralysis, speech or vision disorders, women often have additional, rarer or actually atypical symptoms. These include, for example, body aches, confusion, nausea, chest pain, dysphagia, and shortness of breath. Such complaints are often not the same Stroke Symptoms recognized.