Symptoms of a silent stroke
A silent stroke is one caused by blood flow disruption to a region that does not control any detectable activity. The neurons there may starve and die, but there may be no clinical manifestations, which causes a silent stroke to go undiagnosed. However silent strokes have a repetitive pattern of occurrence. The research concludes that silent stroke may cause memory loss and other effects on the cognitive function of the body over time.
Stroke, emergency: act FAST
To flatten the curve of morbidity and mortality related to stroke, physicians have devised this acronym, FAST, to recognize a stroke attack. The application of this simple strategy enables local public and paramedics to identify the symptoms as stroke and has reportedly ensured patient survival and shorten the recovery time.
- Face: look for facial drooping to one side. It can be easily assessed by asking the patient to smile. A crooked or half-smile shows palsy in one half of the face
- Arm: look for arm weakness by assessing the voluntary motion of both arms. Asking the patient to raise both arms overhead may expose any weakness, that is mostly one-sided.
- Speech: look for speech coherence. Slurred speech and stammer are a sign of incoherence and a critical sign of stroke.
- Time: time to call 911 or other emergency services is pivotal for ensuring providence of immediate effect treatment. The patient in a disturbed state of mind, may not consent to the ambulance or health treatment, it is however crucial to call 9-1-1 immediately after noticing any of the following signs.