In some cases almost the only recognisable sign of an oncoming stroke is a transient ischaemic attack (TIA). As described, this is a medical emergency, and prompt treatment can avoid the onset of a severe, permanent stroke.
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Stroke symptoms may develop suddenly or progress over time. Ischeamic strokes due to an embolus suddenly blocking an artery produce symptoms with sudden onset, and with maximal defecit at the start.
Bleeds into the brain are a little slower : it may take minutes or hours for the accumulation of blood to compress nearby brain tissue, and cause more and more detectable problems.
A subarachnoid bleed typically has a sudden onset, with (usually) an instant, severe headache, with widespread pain and vomiting. There may be few localising signs, such as arm or leg paralysis.
The symptoms of stroke may include the following:
Sudden numbness and tingling of the face or limbs
Weakness or paralysis of one side of the body (face, arm and leg)
Drooling as a result of weakened facial muscles
Sudden changes in vision, such as double vision, dimness, blurring or blindness in one or both eyes (usually the result of a stroke affecting the base of the brain)
Difficulty with walking or standing, or inability to do either
Difficulty with speaking or with speech comprehension, or inability to speak or understand speech
Loss of balance, clumsiness
Confusion and personality changes, problems with judgement
Difficulty with performing everyday tasks, such as eating and getting dressed
Sudden nausea or vomiting
A severe headache with any of the above symptoms, quickly followed by loss of consciousness with weakness of one side of the body (bleeding or haemorrhagic stroke)
A sudden, severe headache and stiff neck occurring out of the blue, often followed by change in consciousness or unconsciousness (subarachnoid haemorrhage)
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