by Suzette Baker

Created on: October 20, 2010   Last Updated: August 01, 2011

One of the leading causes of death in the U.S. is strokes. For this reason, knowing the signs of a stroke is very important and just may save someone's life. Recognizing the symptoms of a stroke can be difficult since they may be mistakenly attributed to those of aging or to other conditions that share similar symptoms. A stroke or cerebrovascular accident (CVA) is the result of a disruption of the blood flow to the brain cells which causes them to die. This is the equivalent of a heart attack which causes the heart muscles to die for the same reason. According to the US National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, there are 5 major signs that someone may be having a stroke. Not all of the symptoms are present in every incident so it is important that the ones that are present  are not ignored and that the person gets immediate medical help because the faster a person receives medical treatment, the better their chances are for recovery.

If you suspect that someone is having a stroke, remember the mnemonic FAST to help you assess their symptoms.

F is for face. Ask the person to smile and look for signs of drooping on one side of the face.

A is for arms. Ask the person to raise their arms and pay attention to whether or not one arm sags lower than the other.

S is for speech. Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence. Do they slur their words or have trouble repeating the sentence correctly?

T is for time.  If any of the above symptoms are present, call 911 or get the person to a hospital immediately. Even if you aren’t sure, go ahead and make the call to emergency services. It is better to have the person checked out than to ignore the symptoms and increase their risk of dying.

There are other signs that a person may be having a stroke that you need to look for. These symptoms include a sudden change in vision that may affect one or both eyes, a sudden change in speech, sudden changes in walking, or maintaining balance, sudden dizziness,sudden confusion or understanding, and the sudden onset of a headache for no apparent reason. Weakness or numbness in the face, arms or legs- particularly on one side of the body, may also be a sign that someone is having a stroke. This weakness or numbness can also be limited to a single body part.

Signs of a stroke can vary and depend on whether the stroke is caused by bleeding or blood clots. They also depend on how bad the stroke is and the part of the brain it occurs in. If you notice signs that signal a stroke, keep track of the time when the symptoms first started. This could have an impact on treatment decisions.

It is also important to note that there are certain factors which can increase a person’s risk of having a stroke. These include heart disease, diabetes, a family history of stroke, atrial fibrillation, aging, and high cholesterol. Certain medications-especially those that make the blood clot more easily are also contributing factors.

If you think someone is having a stroke, it is important to get help immediately and remember that every second counts because every second, millions of brain cells are dying.  Any questions you have about the signs of stoke can be discussed with your healthcare provider. It is possible to treat strokes so knowing the signs to look for can only improve the person’s chances of a positive recovery.

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