What are the signs of a stroke?
Strokes (which are sometimes known as brain attacks) are caused by something, most often a blood clot, blocking the blood from getting to the brain or when a vein in your brain bursts. No matter what the cause, strokes are dangerous. If they are not treated fast, your brain can suffer permanent damage or you can even die. Knowing the signs of a stroke is a great way to make sure that someone will be getting medical attention as fast as possible.
The most common symptoms of a stroke are:
- a severe headache or migraine, as well as dizziness;
- speech problems: the person will not be able to speak properly, slurring their words, or even having difficulties understanding speech and speaking even simple sentences;
- numbness or weakness in one side of the body, most easily recognizable as the dropping of the face, along with numbness and weakness of the arm or even leg;
- loss of coordination or balance, alongside problems seeing with one or both eyes.
If you or someone you know has these symptoms, you should check that they cannot move their face or arms properly, along with asking them to repeat simple sentences to check that there is something wrong. Likewise, you should be fast when contacting emergency services, as time is of the essence when dealing with a stroke!
