A stroke is a common phenomenon that strikes young and old alike. It is essential to identify the signs of a stroke; otherwise it could lead to dangerous ramifications. The signs and symptoms of a stroke usually develop rapidly but they can also sometimes take hours or even days to develop. Usually the symptoms differ according to the area of brain that is affected.
Having a stroke means that your brain is not getting the blood it needs to function properly. This might lead to permanent or temporary damage to the brain. For example, the ability to speak might be impaired momentarily or in a different case one may not be able to use arm or leg effectively.
The most common symptoms of a stroke are an inability to move, numbness in a side of body, bewilderment, loss of consciousness, breathing problem, vision impairment, sudden or severe attacks and difficulty in speaking and comprehending others. A stroke may also be preceded by loss of bladder control, affecting the muscles that control the urination process. Further the numbness can also lead to muscle immobility or blood clotting if a certain part or muscle remain inactive for a long period of time.
Since the muscles involved in swallowing are also affected, it may also lead to difficulty in swallowing of food or choking. The coordination capacity of eyes, legs and hands is affected severely. Most strokes though show the popular symptom of sudden numbness in shoulder, left or right side of the face, leg, arm or face. In extreme conditions, the entire side of a human body may get paralyzed.
There are three different types of strokes; ischemic, hemorrhagic and transient ischemic stroke. All of these cause warning signs that may differ in from minutes to hours. Less severe strokes are difficult to recognize due to less evident symptoms.
