Stroke
A stroke is a "brain attack".
Signs & Symptoms
Seek immediate medical attention if you notice any signs or symptoms of a stroke, even if they seem to fluctuate or disappear:
Risk Factors
The more risk factors you have, the more likely you are to have a stroke. The major risk factors for stroke include:
Complications
Complications that threaten a person's life may develop soon after stroke symptoms occur. Life-threatening complications include:
Communicable / Non-communicable
Non-communicable
Signs & Symptoms
Seek immediate medical attention if you notice any signs or symptoms of a stroke, even if they seem to fluctuate or disappear:
- Confusion
- Slurred words
- Difficulty understanding speech
- Sudden numbness in face, arm or leg, especially on one side of your body
- Sudden weaknessin face, arm or leg, especially on one side of your body
- Sudden paralysis in face, arm or leg, especially on one side of your body
- One side of your mouth may droop when you try to smile
- Sudden blurred or blackened vision in one or both eyes,
- You may see double
- A sudden, severe headache
- Vomiting
- Dizziness
- Altered consciousness
- Loss of balance, stumbling, loss of coordination
Risk Factors
The more risk factors you have, the more likely you are to have a stroke. The major risk factors for stroke include:
- High blood pressure is the main risk factor for stroke.
- Coronary heart disease
- Heart failure
- Atrial fibrillation
- Smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke
- Age. Risk increases as you get older.
- Strokes occur more often in African American, Alaska Native, and American Indian adults than in white, Hispanic, or Asian American adults
- If you’ve had one stroke, you’re at higher risk for another one.
- Alcohol and illegal drug use, including cocaine, amphetamines, and other drugs
- Certain medical conditions, such as sickle cell disease, vasculitis (inflammation of the blood vessels), and bleeding disorders
- Lack of physical activity
- Overweight and Obesity
- Stress and depression
- Unhealthy cholesterol levels
- Unhealthy diet
- Use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), but not aspirin, may increase the risk of heart attack or stroke
Complications
Complications that threaten a person's life may develop soon after stroke symptoms occur. Life-threatening complications include:
- Increased pressure on the brain
- Fever
- High blood sugar (glucose).
- Blood pressure changes.
- Buildup of spinal fluid within the brain (hydrocephalus)
- Fluid on the brain is more likely to occur if the stroke was caused by bleeding (hemorrhagic stroke)
- Spasms of blood vessels (vasospasm).
- A blood clot in the legs (deep vein thrombosis) that may travel to the lungs (pulmonary embolism)
- Seizures
- Another stroke
- Coma
Communicable / Non-communicable
Non-communicable