Signs and Symptoms: Part 1
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2019-11-28T10:11:55-08:00
Learning the signs and symptoms of a stroke can help save someone’s life because the faster a patient gets medical attention, the less severe the post-stroke damage will be (Jin, 2014). As shown in Figure 5, following stroke onset, at risk brain regions, shown in green, could be revived with prompt treatment. The longer the person remains untreated, the regions which are irreversibly damaged, shown in red, increase (Figure 5). The acronym F.A.S.T is used to identify the immediate signs of a stroke (Heart and Stroke Foundation, 2019). Beyond F.A.S.T (Figure 3), additional common signs and symptoms include:
- Sudden numbness or weakness in the face (Figure 4), arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
- Sudden confusion
- Trouble speaking or understanding
- Trouble seeing in one/both eyes
- Sudden trouble walking
- Dizziness
- Loss of balance and coordination
- Severe headache with no known cause
