Signs and symptoms of a major stroke?

Answer 1

Causes and symptoms Causes There are four main types of stroke. http://www.answers.com/topic/cerebral-thrombosis-in-medicine and http://www.answers.com/topic/cerebral-embolism are caused by blood http://www.answers.com/topic/clot that block an http://www.answers.com/topic/artery supplying the brain, either in the brain itself or in the neck. These account for 70-80% of all strokes. http://www.answers.com/topic/subarachnoid-hemorrhage and http://www.answers.com/topic/intracerebral-hemorrhage occur when a blood vessel bursts around or in the brain. Cerebral thrombosis occurs when a blood clot, or http://www.answers.com/topic/thrombus, forms within the brain itself, blocking the flow of blood through the affected vessel. Clots most often form due to "http://www.answers.com/topic/hardening" (atherosclerosis) of brain arteries. Cerebral thrombosis occurs most often at night or early in the morning. Cerebral thrombosis is often preceded by a http://www.answers.com/topic/transient-ischemic-attack (http://www.answers.com/topic/tia), sometimes called a "mini-stroke." In a TIA, blood flow is temporarily interrupted, causing short-lived stroke-like symptoms. Recognizing the occurrence of a TIA and seeking immediate treatment are important steps in stroke prevention. Cerebral embolism occurs when a blood clot from elsewhere in the http://www.answers.com/topic/circulatory-system breaks free. If it becomes lodged in an artery supplying the brain, either in the brain or in the neck, it can cause a stroke. The most common cause of cerebral http://www.answers.com/topic/embolism is http://www.answers.com/topic/atrial-fibrillation, a disorder of the http://www.answers.com/topic/heartbeat. In http://www.answers.com/topic/atrial fibrillation, the upper chambers (atria) of the heart beat http://www.answers.com/topic/weakly and rapidly, instead of slowly and steadily. Blood within the atria is not completely emptied. This stagnant blood may form clots within the atria, which can then break off and enter the circulation. Atrial fibrillation is a factor in about 15% of all strokes. The risk of a stroke from atrial http://www.answers.com/topic/fibrillation can be dramatically reduced with daily use of http://www.answers.com/topic/anticoagulant medication. Hemorrhage, or bleeding, occurs when a blood vessel breaks, either from trauma or excess internal pressure. The vessels most likely to break are those with preexisting defects such as an http://www.answers.com/topic/aneurysm. An aneurysm is a "pouching out" of a blood vessel caused by a weak http://www.answers.com/topic/arterial wall. Brain http://www.answers.com/topic/aneurysm are surprisingly common. According to http://www.answers.com/topic/autopsy studies, about 6% of all Americans have them. Aneurysms rarely cause symptoms until they burst. Aneurysms are most likely to burst when blood pressure is highest, and controlling blood pressure is an important preventive strategy. Intracerebral hemorrhage affects vessels within the brain itself, while subarachnoid http://www.answers.com/topic/hemorrhage affects arteries at the brain's surface, just below the protective arachnoid membrane. Intracerebral hemorrhages represent about 10% of all strokes, while subarachnoid hemorrhages account for about 7%. In addition to http://www.answers.com/topic/deprive affected tissues of blood supply, the accumulation of fluid within the http://www.answers.com/topic/inflexible skull creates excess pressure on brain tissue, which can quickly lead to death. Nonetheless, recovery may be more complete for a person who survives hemorrhage than for one who survives a clot, because the blood http://www.answers.com/topic/deprivation effects are usually not as severe. Death of brain cells triggers a chain reaction in which toxic chemicals created by cell death affect other nearby cells. This is one reason why prompt treatment can have such a dramatic effect on final recovery Causes and symptoms Causes There are four main types of stroke. http://www.answers.com/topic/cerebral-thrombosis-in-medicine and http://www.answers.com/topic/cerebral-embolism are caused by blood http://www.answers.com/topic/clot that block an http://www.answers.com/topic/artery supplying the brain, either in the brain itself or in the neck. These account for 70-80% of all strokes. http://www.answers.com/topic/subarachnoid-hemorrhage and http://www.answers.com/topic/intracerebral-hemorrhage occur when a blood vessel bursts around or in the brain. Cerebral thrombosis occurs when a blood clot, or http://www.answers.com/topic/thrombus, forms within the brain itself, blocking the flow of blood through the affected vessel. Clots most often form due to "http://www.answers.com/topic/hardening" (atherosclerosis) of brain arteries. Cerebral thrombosis occurs most often at night or early in the morning. Cerebral thrombosis is often preceded by a http://www.answers.com/topic/transient-ischemic-attack (http://www.answers.com/topic/tia), sometimes called a "mini-stroke." In a TIA, blood flow is temporarily interrupted, causing short-lived stroke-like symptoms. Recognizing the occurrence of a TIA and seeking immediate treatment are important steps in stroke prevention. Cerebral embolism occurs when a blood clot from elsewhere in the http://www.answers.com/topic/circulatory-system breaks free. If it becomes lodged in an artery supplying the brain, either in the brain or in the neck, it can cause a stroke. The most common cause of cerebral http://www.answers.com/topic/embolism is http://www.answers.com/topic/atrial-fibrillation, a disorder of the http://www.answers.com/topic/heartbeat. In http://www.answers.com/topic/atrial fibrillation, the upper chambers (atria) of the heart beat http://www.answers.com/topic/weakly and rapidly, instead of slowly and steadily. Blood within the atria is not completely emptied. This stagnant blood may form clots within the atria, which can then break off and enter the circulation. Atrial fibrillation is a factor in about 15% of all strokes. The risk of a stroke from atrial http://www.answers.com/topic/fibrillation can be dramatically reduced with daily use of http://www.answers.com/topic/anticoagulant medication. Hemorrhage, or bleeding, occurs when a blood vessel breaks, either from trauma or excess internal pressure. The vessels most likely to break are those with preexisting defects such as an http://www.answers.com/topic/aneurysm. An aneurysm is a "pouching out" of a blood vessel caused by a weak http://www.answers.com/topic/arterial wall. Brain http://www.answers.com/topic/aneurysm are surprisingly common. According to http://www.answers.com/topic/autopsy studies, about 6% of all Americans have them. Aneurysms rarely cause symptoms until they burst. Aneurysms are most likely to burst when blood pressure is highest, and controlling blood pressure is an important preventive strategy. Intracerebral hemorrhage affects vessels within the brain itself, while subarachnoid http://www.answers.com/topic/hemorrhage affects arteries at the brain's surface, just below the protective arachnoid membrane. Intracerebral hemorrhages represent about 10% of all strokes, while subarachnoid hemorrhages account for about 7%. In addition to http://www.answers.com/topic/deprive affected tissues of blood supply, the accumulation of fluid within the http://www.answers.com/topic/inflexible skull creates excess pressure on brain tissue, which can quickly lead to death. Nonetheless, recovery may be more complete for a person who survives hemorrhage than for one who survives a clot, because the blood http://www.answers.com/topic/deprivation effects are usually not as severe. Death of brain cells triggers a chain reaction in which toxic chemicals created by cell death affect other nearby cells. This is one reason why prompt treatment can have such a dramatic effect on final recovery

Answer 2

A patient who is said to have cerebrovascular disease i said to have the following symptoms.

Dizziness

Nausea

Vomiting

severe headaches

head pressure

numbness within the limbs

slurred speech

vision loss

loss of coordination and the ability to walk

It is not sure that the patient may experience all the above listed symptoms, but there is a possibility they feel most of the symptoms. Also, on one hand it is figured that patients who have this disease may not feel any of the symptoms and the disease may go unnoticed. Hope this helps.

Answer 3

An easy method to remember the symptoms is FAST; acronym for:

Face drooping (ask the person to smile. If the smile is only on one side of the face? - that's your sign!)

Arm/leg weakness (if the answer to previous is yes, the opposite limbs can be weak or unresponsive. Ask the person to hold both arms straight forward - 90 degrees to the body and hold them in that position while closing their eyes. If one arm drops, that's your sign!)

Slurred or difficult speech (the person slurs in speech, talks nonsense, repeats sentences again and again for no apparent reason. Ask for his/her name, day of the week, where he/she is. Disoriented answers may indicate a stroke)

Time to go to the hospital!

Warning! These symptoms can also be found with a diabetic in a hypoglycemic episode. If possible, check blood for sugar levels. All this person might need can be a sweet drink to be revived.

In any case of either stroke or hypoglycemic episode, the person must see a doctor as soon as possible.

Answer 4

Symptoms can include slowly progressive headache , nausea, vomiting, stiff neck, confusion, irritability, loss of memory, seizures , and dementia . Cerebral angiitis may also cause the sudden onset of more acute and focal loss of function.