Warning Signs

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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 the following symptoms is considered 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
• Inability or difficulty speaking or understanding
• Trouble seeing with one or both eyes or other visual disturbance
• Severe headache, dizziness, confusion or personality changes
• Difficulty with swallowing
• Loss of bowel and bladder control
• Loss of consciousness
• Ignoring or forgetting the weak or affected side of the body. This may cause you to bump into furniture or forget to put clothes on one side of your body.

Call 911 if you experience these symptoms or see someone else experiencing them.  Treatment is more effective when quick response is given.  Don't wait - Get to a hospital right away! Every minute counts!

Risk Factors

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You are more likely to have a stroke if you experience the following:

• 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 body weight (obesity)
• A sedentary lifestyle, which means you exercise less than three 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

Modifying Risk Factors

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With the help of your family and doctor, you can reduce the risk of a stroke by making the following 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 quitting assistance 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 mellitus, it is very important that you monitor and control the blood sugar level with diet and medication.
• Eat foods low in fat, salt, and cholesterol to reduce the risk of developing fatty deposits in your blood vessels that could close down the blood supply to your brain. Lower your cholesterol levels with diet, medication, exercise or a combination of the three.
• If you are overweight, talk to your health care provider about weight control options.
• Do not drink more than one drink of alcohol a day, particularly if you have leg weakness or balance problems.
• Follow your doctor's recommendations for rehabilitation after a stroke.
• Recreation is important for stress reduction. Learn to relax and avoid stress in your life.
• Get regular medical checkups. Follow your doctor's advice for health maintenance.