A stroke is a brain attack that occurs when the blood flow does not reach the brain, which means death to brain cells. The scary fact about strokes is the fact that it can happen at any time without warning to anyone, and the age does not matter (more than 1/3 of hospitalized persons are under the age of 65). The main factors that lead to strokes are mainly high blood pressure, smoking, and LDL levels (high cholesterol levels).
When someone is having a stroke, an hour is all she/he has for treatment in order to prevent long-term disability or death, that is why you should know signs that are related to strokes because they manifest themselves hours before the stroke and sometimes, they can happen days and weeks before the stroke. Without any further ado, here are 7 stroke signs that you should keep an eye on.
1) Face drooping.
A drooping face is a strong sign of a stroke. If a person’s face looks lopsided or droopy, ask them to smile to see whether or not their smile is lopsided or uneven.
2) Arm weakness.
People that had a stroke experience numbness and weakness in their bodies out of nowhere, and most of the time, the weakness or numbness occurs in a single side of the body. Ask the person to raise both arms above their heads, if an arm is significantly lower than the other, and or they face a hard time doing so, rush them to the nearest hospital.
3) Speech difficulty.
Usually, people who are affected by a stroke, have speech difficulties. If you suspect whether or not a person is slurring, ask them to repeat what they were saying just to make sure that everything is all right.
4) Severe headache.
If a person experiences a sudden headache, then he/she is probably experiencing a stroke symptom (if the headache occurs with other stroke symptoms, make sure to rush the person to a hospital). Some symptoms can occur simultaneously with migraine. Make sure to ask the affected the person whether or not the headache is out of the ordinary, and make sure to take them to an emergency room just in case.
5) Changes in vision.
If a person experiences sudden blindness in one eye or sudden double vision, then it is a sign of a stroke that is about to happen.
6) Confusion.
If a person finds it hard to articulate thoughts or understand other people, then they are on the verge of experiencing a stroke because sudden confusion is a strong stroke sign.
7) Balance issues.
If a person experiences troubles with balance and coordination suddenly, then they should be rushed to a hospital as soon as possible because that is a strong sign of an impending stroke. To make sure that they have balance and coordination issues, ask the person to walk in a straight line, then use a finger to touch their nose, if they fail both tests, rush them to the nearest hospital.
