Vanderbilt Clinical Neurosciences

Warning Signs

The symptoms of a stroke depend on the part of the brain affected and the size of the damage. Stroke symptoms are sudden and typically painless.

Any one of these symptoms is a medical emergency:

• Weakness, numbness or tingling in the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body
• Trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
• Having a hard time speaking or understanding
• Trouble seeing with one or both eyes
• Severe headache, dizziness, confusion or personality changes
• Having a hard time swallowing
• Loss of bowel and bladder control
• Passing out
• Ignoring or forgetting the weak or affected side of the body.

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Risk Factors

You are more likely to have a stroke if you have:

• Chronic high blood pressure (greater than 140/90 mmHg taken after 5 minutes of sitting down)
• Heart disease (such as irregular heart rhythm right-to-left shunt or history of heart attacks)
• Diabetes mellitus (high blood sugar)
• High cholesterol level
• Hardening of the arteries due to cholesterol deposits
• A tobacco habit (particularly cigarette smoking)
• Family or personal history of stroke
• Too much extra weight (obesity)
• A sedentary lifestyle, which means you exercise less than 3 hours a week
• Advanced age
• Have had a TIA or prior stroke
• A habit of drinking too much alcohol
• Lack of certain vitamins
• Blood disorders (such as Sickle Cell disease or a disease with a tendency to form clots)
• Illegal drug use
   

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Reducing Risks

You can reduce the risk of a stroke by making these changes:

• If you have high blood pressure (hypertension), you must control it with medicine. A low-salt diet is also important.
• If you smoke, quit. Ask your health care provider for options.
• Exercise daily for 30 minutes or more. Walking is usually the safest exercise, unless you have problems with balance that may cause you to fall. Do not skip days.
• If you have diabetes, monitor and control the blood sugar level with diet and medicine.
• Eat foods low in fat, salt and cholesterol to reduce the risk of clogging your blood vessels. Lower your cholesterol levels with diet, medicine or exercise.
• If you're overweight, talk to your health care provider about weight control options.
• Don't drink more than one drink of alcohol a day, especially if you have leg weakness or balance problems.
• Follow your doctor's orders for rehab after a stroke.
• Recreation is important to manage stress. Learn to relax and avoid stress in your life.
• Get regular medical checkups. Follow your doctor's advice for good health habits.