Stroke

Because seconds count, it’s important to know the common symptoms of stroke. That way, you or someone else can take action if necessary. If any of these symptoms are present, call 911 or your local ambulance service immediately.

Most common:

• weakness or numbness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body
• confusion or difficulty speaking or understanding
• problems with vision such as dimness or loss of vision in one or both eyes
• dizziness or problems with balance or coordination
• problems with movement or walking
• severe headaches with no other known cause

Less common symptoms include sudden nausea, vomiting, or fever not caused by a viral illness, or a brief loss of consciousness such as fainting, confusion, seizures, or coma.

Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA): The symptoms of stroke may resemble those of other medical conditions or problems. One of the most common of these is called a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA), or “mini-stroke.” TIA symptoms are temporary and may last for a few minutes or up to 24 hours. Call for medical help immediately if you suspect a person is having a TIA, because it may be a warning sign that a stroke is about to occur.

Call 911 immediately in the event of

• Sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg
• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
• Sudden trouble seeing
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
• Sudden severe headache

These symptoms are a major part of ongoing stroke education efforts through the Baptist Stroke Centers and Baptist Neurology Group. The patient may not experience all of them, and they may appear to go away by themselves. Still, it’s vital to take action immediately if you or someone around you experiences them.

Medical science has identified a series of risk factors (some controllable, some not) that make stroke more likely. See if they apply to you. Learn about the diagnostic tests we use to determine if a stroke has occurred and pinpoint any damage, and the treatment options available for the 780,000 Americans who suffer a stroke every year.

Like other medical problems, stroke is more likely to occur if certain known risk factors are present. Some are medical and others relate to lifestyle. Some can be controlled through diet, exercise and medication. With others, it’s helpful to be aware so you can be on the lookout for symptoms.

Controllable medical risk factors include high blood pressure, Diabetes mellitus, heart disease and cigarette smoking, along with:

• High red blood cell count
• High blood cholesterol and lipids
• Lack of exercise
• Obesity
• Excessive alcohol use
• Intravenous drug abuse
• Atrial fibrillation
• Cardiac structural abnormalities

Medical risk factors you can’t change include your age, race and gender, along with heredity and a history of prior stroke or TIA. After age 55, stroke risk increases dramatically. African Americans have a higher risk as well, along with those who have had a stroke or TIA before. Statistically, stroke occurs more frequently in men than women, but women are more likely than men to die from it.

Non-medical risk factors include location (specifically the southeastern U.S.), climate (places with periods of extreme temperatures) and socioeconomic factors (lower-income).

The board-certified neurologists at Baptist Neurology Group use a variety of tests to diagnose stroke and measure its severity and damage. Some tests produce detailed images of the brain, others measure the brain’s electrical activity or blood flow. 

• Imaging tests show abnormalities of the brain structures, the blood vessels that supply nutrients to brain cells, and locations of the brain where specific functions occur. These tests include Computed Tomography (CT) scans, Computed Tomographic Angiography (CTA), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA) and Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI).
• Tests that evaluate the brain's electrical activity include Electroencephalography (EEG), which records the brain’s continuous electrical activity, and Evoked Potentials testing, which records the brain's electrical response to visual, auditory, and sensory stimuli.
• Tests that measure blood flow include carotid and transcranial Doppler Sonography, which directs sound waves into a blood vessel to evaluate blood flow; Cerebral Optimetry, which measures how much oxygen is reaching different areas of the brain; and Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA), which creates an image of blood vessels in the brain by injecting a contrast dye.

Depending on the location and severity of stroke damage, Baptist Neurology Group physicians employ a wide range of treatment options aimed at restoring as much of a patient’s original functioning as possible. Check out the symptoms of a stroke and the risk factors that make people more likely to suffer one. Contact us for an appointment with any Baptist Neurology Group physician at any of our offices throughout Jacksonville.