Cerebrovascular accident (C.V.A.), commonly known as stroke, ictus, cerebral infarction, or brain ischemia, is a condition caused by a sudden loss of oxygen in the brain. It is the third cause of death and the first cause of disability worldwide. Every year, 15 million people suffer from a stroke, and 6 million do not survive. Reading this data may be scary, especially if you know that it happens suddenly and unexpectedly. That is why it is so important to recognize its signs and promptly ask for medical assistance. For that reason, we will teach you how to identify a cerebral infarction by its symptoms.
In rare cases, the affected person may not realize that they have had a stroke. In general, ictus is sudden onset and rapidly developing, and cause a brain injury in a matter of minutes. However, the amount, intensity and duration of the symptoms depend on two factors: 1) the type of stroke they are having (whether it is ischemic or hemorrhagic) and 2) what part of the brain is being affected by the interruption of the oxygen supply.
F.A.S.T. is a useful mnemonic phrase typically used to identify a stroke quickly. It gathers three main symptoms. F (face)- the person has to grin, and you have to try notice if one side of their face begins to hang. A (arms)- ask them to lift both of their arms, is one of them drifting downward? S (speech)- ask the person to say a simple sentence- is their talk unclear or strange? And T (time)- instantly call 9-1-1 if you note any of these signs. Time can be either a friend or foe.
Even so, other symptoms will help us determine more accurately if a person is suffering from cerebral infarction. Among them are:
1-Severe headache with no known cause
No matter what part of the brain is being damaged, this is one of the most recurrent symptoms in people suffering from a stroke. It occurs in a quarter of patients with ischemic stroke and half of the patients with hemorrhagic ictus. It happens suddenly and often felt as very acute and penetrating pain of varied duration. Sometimes, the pain may decrease in minutes, or, on the contrary, increase. It gets severe depending on the position of the person; when standing, it usually hurts less compared to a sitting position or lying down, either on her back or upside down. In any case, headache is severe and alarming, often making patients and family members rush into the emergency room.
2-Muscle weakness in the face, arm, or leg
Usually, this occurs on one side of the body, which stands as the opposite side of the affected region of the brain. It comes with a sudden lack of sensation or paralysis in the face, arms, or legs. Although the person tries to raise their arms above their head at the same time, the affected arm falls or does not reach the same height. Further, one side of the mouth may fall off when they try to grin.
3-Confusion or trouble speaking or understanding
From one moment to the next, the person finds it difficult to understand what others are saying or what they are reading (reading and listening comprehension). Also, it becomes difficult for the person to talk correctly. They could even drag the words, babble or not find the correct term with which they want to express their self. Thus, whoever questions them may not understand what they say.
On the other hand, it is also tricky for them to read or write. Troubles in speaking or understanding usually occur when the part of the brain affected is the dominant hemisphere, as well as the Broca’s area and Wernicke’s Area. This zones of the brain play a fundamental role in the processing and production of coordinated speech.
4-Visual problems
Suddenly, the individual begins to report blurry vision and other visual problems such as double vision (diplopia) or even black spots or areas in one or both eyes. Besides, they may also experience photophobia or see images that move. Sometimes he becomes unable to look on the same side with one or both eyes. It occurs when the arteries branching from the internal carotid artery (which carry blood along the front of the neck to the brain) are affected.
5-Problems with walking, dizziness, or loss of balance and coordination
Patients with a stroke feel as if the ground is moving (vertigo). It comes with nausea, vomiting, tremors, uncoordinated movements of the limbs or trunk (ataxia), difficulty hearing and swallowing. In these cases, the cerebellum has probably been affected. Although it is one of the smallest parts of the brain, cerebellum controls balance, movement, and coordination (the way muscles work together).
6-Accidental Bowel Leakage
It consists of the involuntary but conscious emission of urine, excreta, or other biological matter, which varies from a small leakage from sneezing, coughing or laughing to the total inability to control the sphincters. Sometimes, who suffers from a cerebral stroke, also has another type of “accidents”. If this happens, it should be interpreted as a warning signal that something is not right, especially when accompanied by loss of consciousness. It may be important to differentiate this symptom of stroke with seizures in some cases.
7-Changes in hearing
In the temporal lobe, we find the structures responsible for processing the data that reach us through the ear. Therefore, when this part of the brain is affected during a stroke, different problems usually occur. Occasionally, there is a partial or complete loss of hearing.
8-Changes in the sense of taste and smell
The senses of taste and smell are closely related. In addition, the parts of the brain that process this information are very close to each other. Therefore, when the sense of taste is altered, also how smells are perceived and vice versa. During a cerebral infarction, the person may come to feel that, suddenly, a meal does not have the same taste or smell as always.
They may also start to dislike dishes that he used to love. It manifests when the damage occurs near the pyriform cortex and the temporal lobe because there are the areas responsible for processing the information received from the nose and taste buds.
9-Changes that affect touch and the ability to feel pain, pressure, or different temperatures
It occurs when one or both parietal lobes are damaged. The person is unable to perceive sensations through touch. Therefore, their ability to feel pain, pressure, or changes in temperature is affected. Along with dizziness and loss of balance, the decrease in the sense of touch makes the person vulnerable to stumbling and falling. For that reason, it is advisable not to spend a lot of time standing, minimizing the possible traumas resulting from a fall.
10-Decreased state of consciousness
It includes drowsiness, disorientation, and loss of consciousness. Usually, this symptom indicates that the damage produced in the brain has reached a critical state.
If we don’t recognize the main symptoms of a stroke, the person may be left in a coma, vegetative state or, in the worst case, die. Therefore, it is crucial to know how to identify it and act quickly, because the faster they receive medical attention, the less the damage will be.
Nevertheless, even days before the event, nonspecific signs may appear that indicate a significant reduction of oxygen supply to the brain. They are:
11-Loss of memory
Sometimes it is difficult for the person to remember events from the recent or remote past, because of the reduced oxygen flow that reaches the brain. They may forget things as simple as the location of the house’s keys, the different rooms of the home, and even the name of their relatives. However, do not be alarmed every time you forget something. It is normal not to remember things, especially at an advanced age. However, the danger is when the change is sudden, and there is no history of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s.
12-Emotional, personality or mood changes
Sometimes, whoever is about to suffer a stroke may have sudden changes in their way of being and behave in different everyday situations, including variations in their personality or moods. Sometimes, they get angry for no apparent reason, and from one moment to the next, they start to laugh. Even so, it should not be confused with bipolar disorder, especially if any other symptom accompanies it.
Without a doubt, a stroke is a situation that nobody wants to go through. However, since it is one of the most common neurological conditions, we need to be prepared. The key is to know the symptoms it produces and seek medical attention immediately. In that way, we will significantly reduce the chances of damage to the brain, the most critical organ in our body. Knowing the symptoms of this severe condition, we can save not only our life but also that of others.