Stroke Awareness (Part 2 of 4: Stroke Risks)

Stroke is a common neurological disorder which affects people amongst all age groups and has many risk factors such as age, gender, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, obesity, high cholesterol, etc. The fact known even less frequently to people commonly is that the disease can be treated and a person can become almost normal. However, this needs immediate treatment within 3.5 hours of the onset of symptoms. So, the most crucial part of stroke treatment is the identification of the symptoms early.

Any sudden deterioration in mental function harbingers stroke. Some of the common problems that crop up are-

    1. Sudden loss of consciousness.
    2. Sudden confusion.
    3. Sudden difficulty in speaking.
    4. Sudden difficulty in understanding the spoken word.
    5. Sudden weakness of the limbs, commonly on one side of the body.
    6. Sudden loss of sensation over one side of the body, especially limbs.
    7. Difficulty in seeing such as blurring of vision, or double vision.
    8. Sudden difficulty in balancing and walking which may even cause falls.
    9. Sudden severe headache.

These are amongst the commonest symptoms that may warn a family or friend that a stroke has started and it needs to be treated urgently. For some, this list, though not exhaustive may actually be difficult to remember. A simple method that usually includes a vast majority of patients is knowing FAST-

      1. F- Facial weakness or drooping of one side of the face- there may be associated loss of sensation over the face.
      2. A- Arm weakness or loss of sensation over the arm.
      3. S- Speech difficulty- either the affected person may not understand what you are saying, or you may not understand what the person is saying.
      4. T- Time is of essence. Call the ambulance as soon as possible to get to the closest hospital equipped with the treatment of stroke. If you are not sure, call 108 (in all the places where the number is operational in India).

For anyone who is aware of these set of symptoms, the next two steps should be-

      1. Noting the time at which the symptoms have started.
      2. Calling the ambulance to a hospital equipped with stroke treatment modalities- an easy way may be to ask if the hospital has a neuro physician.

Your awareness and efficiency leading to effective treatment may help a friend or a family or even a complete stranger lead a normal life even after developing a stroke.