Stroke can have many symptoms. The faster a person recognizes these symptoms, the sooner hospital care can be sought and received. The main warning signs of stroke include:
- Numbness, weakness or paralysis of face, arm, leg: especially on only one side of the body
- Sudden blurry or decreased eyesight in one or both eyes
- Difficulty speaking or understanding simple sentences
- Sudden and severe headache with no apparent cause
- Unexplained loss of balance, dizziness, or loss of coordination, with particular concern if combined with another of the above symptoms
- Age (the incidence of stroke rises steeply with age, especially over 55)
- Previous stroke or transient ischemic attack (brief episode of stroke symptoms)
- High blood pressure
- Heart disease (especially atrial fibrillation)
- Carotid artery disease or other atherosclerosis (narrowed arteries)
- Diabetes mellitus
- Smoking
- Family history of stroke
- High cholesterol (or hyperlipidemia, a high level of fatty substances in the blood)
- Obesity
- Excessive consumption of alcohol
- Polycythemia (a raised level of red blood cells in the blood)
- Lack of exercise
Updated: January 14, 2008
