Stroke Symptoms

Martina Feichter studied biology with an elective subject pharmacy in Innsbruck and also immersed herself in the world of medicinal plants. From there it was not far to other medical topics that still captivate her to this day. She trained as a journalist at the Axel Springer Academy in Hamburg and has been working for since 2007 - first as an editor and since 2012 as a freelance writer.

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Common stroke symptoms are acute weakness or paralysis on one side of the body, speech difficulties, visual disturbances and dizziness up to loss of consciousness. However, the signs of a stroke can vary in individual cases. They depend on which region of the brain is severely affected by the stroke. Find out everything you need to know about stroke symptoms here!

ICD codes for this disease: ICD codes are internationally recognized codes for medical diagnoses. They can be found, for example, in doctor's letters or on certificates of incapacity for work. I63I64I61I69

The main stroke symptoms

Stroke causes various neurological disorders and failures. What type of these are and how strong they are depends primarily on which brain region is affected by the damage and how severely. The main stroke symptoms are:

Paralysis, numbness

A common sign of a stroke is an acute feeling of weakness, paralysis, or numbness on one side of the body. Typical is a drooping corner of the mouth, a paralyzed arm or a foot that suddenly fell asleep. If the left half of the body is affected, this indicates a stroke in the right half of the brain. If, on the other hand, the right side of the body shows stroke symptoms such as numbness or paralysis, this indicates a left-sided stroke.

If all four extremities are paralyzed (tetraparesis), this speaks for a so-called basilar artery thrombosis. This means the closure of the Basilar artery in the brain stem. This cerebral vessel arises from the union of the two vertebral arteries. Basilar artery thrombosis is a form of brainstem infarction.

Visual disturbances

Stroke symptoms often affect the eyes as well: double vision, blurred vision, and temporary loss of vision in one eye can be signs of stroke if they happen suddenly. Often there is also a sudden loss of field of vision on one side. The field of vision is that part of the environment that you can see without moving your eyes or your head. If part of this field of vision - for example the left side - suddenly fails, falls or accidents can easily occur because the person concerned cannot see a vehicle approaching from the left side.

Speech and language comprehension disorder

Sudden speech disorders are another possible stroke symptom. It can be of different strengths. For example, a minor stroke can produce symptoms like sluggish, choppy speech. Some people suddenly twist syllables, use wrong letters, or speak slurred or slurred. In severe cases, a stroke patient can no longer speak at all.

Sudden speech impairment can also indicate a stroke. The affected person can suddenly no longer understand (i.e. grasp) what is being said to him.

dizziness

Sudden dizziness with unsteady gait is also one of the possible stroke symptoms. Some of those affected perceive it as vertigo. That is, they feel like they're driving a carousel. Others, on the other hand, feel dizzy: For them, the ground seems to sway like on a ship on a rough sea. The feeling of speeding down an elevator is a possible sign of a stroke.

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

Very bad headache

If a very severe headache suddenly sets in, the severity of which is completely new and unknown to the person concerned, a stroke can also be behind it. Often the pain is accompanied by nausea and vomiting as further possible stroke symptoms.

Two forms of stroke - same signs

Stroke usually occurs when a region of the brain suddenly has insufficient blood flow (ischemic stroke). The reason is usually a blood clot blocking a vessel in the brain. In other cases, the apoplexy is caused by a bleeding in the brain (hemorrhagic stroke).

However, both forms trigger the same stroke symptoms (if the same brain region is affected). This means that it is by no means possible to tell what type of stroke it is just from the signs of a stroke. In the event of an emergency, however, this does not initially matter: If someone shows possible stroke symptoms, the emergency doctor must be alerted immediately!

Harbingers: Strokes are often announced

There are often signs of an approaching stroke: in roughly every third patient, stroke is announced by a so-called transitory ischemic attack (TIA). This is understood to mean a temporary reduced blood flow in the brain. In principle, your signs are the same as those of a stroke, for example sudden numbness or paralysis in one half of the body or sudden speech and vision disorders. However, these TIA signs have completely disappeared after 24 hours at the latest - in contrast to the "real" signs of a stroke.

The harbingers of an impending stroke should be taken seriously and should be clarified by a doctor immediately. They can then immediately recommend suitable treatment measures, for example taking anticoagulant medication. This lowers the risk of a “real” stroke.

Do women have other stroke symptoms?

In some cases, women and men can show different stroke symptoms. In addition to the typical signs such as paralysis, speech or vision disorders, women often show additional, rarer or actually atypical symptoms. These include, for example, aching limbs, confusion, nausea, chest pain, difficulty swallowing and shortness of breath. Such complaints are often not recognized as stroke symptoms straight away.

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