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A “silent” stroke is a blockage of blood vessels in the brain by a thrombus, as a result of which there is a violation of the blood supply to its individual sections. The danger of this condition lies in the fact that most often such a stroke occurs unnoticed by the person himself. The latest scientific discoveries of Western researchers say that every tenth person living on planet Earth has suffered a so-called “silent” stroke. At the same time, in most cases, such people do not consider themselves in need of medical care. However, statistics show that if you do not pay attention to the signs of the development of this dangerous condition in time, then after some time a true stroke may occur.
10 Blurred vision or loss of vision
Thromboembolism of cerebral vessels may well affect the quality of human vision. Therefore, more than a third of patients who had a stroke “on their feet” noted a sharp decrease in vision (or its complete loss). A similar symptom can clearly manifest itself immediately before the attack. It is this characteristic feature that makes it possible to differentiate a neurological symptom associated with a disorder of the blood supply to the brain, with ophthalmological disorders.
9. Tremor or shortness of breath
This is another characteristic symptom of a “silent” stroke. The patient may suddenly feel that it is difficult for him to breathe. Sometimes he can just feel suffocated for a while. This is because when the blood vessels of the brain are blocked, the human body experiences an acute oxygen deficiency, which in turn causes cardiac arrhythmia. Another manifestation of this condition can be a sudden onset of tremor throughout the body, not associated with either a drop in temperature or the experience of strong emotions.
8. facial paralysis
This sign is considered one of the main and most striking manifestations of a stroke, allowing it to be distinguished from other neurological pathologies. Most often, the patient paralyzes one side of the face, because of this it acquires an asymmetric expression. To recognize a stroke in the initial stages of the development of the disease, a person experiencing symptoms of cerebrovascular accident is asked to smile. A crooked smile is a hallmark of a stroke.
7. Fatigue
Statistics show that women very often complain of sudden fatigue, absent-mindedness, a sharp decrease in concentration immediately before a stroke. It is interesting that representatives of the strong half of humanity before an attack of such symptoms are not observed.
6. Pain on one side of the face
A “silent” stroke is not always accompanied by pain, however, sometimes sharp and sudden pain in the limbs or on one half of the face can clearly indicate a violation of the blood flow of the cerebral vessels. Headache appears for no apparent reason. Some patients compare this relationship to a sudden blow.
5. Hiccups
The mechanism of hiccups is closely related to the swallowing reflex. Several brain structures are involved in the formation of this reflex. If one of the structures involved is damaged due to a violation of cerebral circulation, then a violation may well occur in the process of moving the food bolus through the esophagus, leading to hiccups. Also, hiccups can appear as a result of blockage of blood vessels in the respiratory center of the brain by a blood clot. It is noteworthy that in the vast majority of cases, this symptom occurs in women with a stroke.
Remember, if hiccups continue for more than 2 days and do not go away after using the usual means of dealing with this condition, then in this case, you should immediately seek medical help to prevent the development of more severe consequences of a stroke.
4. Sudden headache and/or dizziness
Almost always, the clinical picture of a “silent” stroke in women younger than 45 years is accompanied by dizziness. Most often, this symptom does not receive due attention, since in most cases it is attributed either to overwork or lack of sleep. But a sharp dizziness combined with an acute headache is a classic sign of a stroke, which should be the reason for an immediate visit to the doctor.
3. Loss of balance and trouble walking
This is another characteristic sign of a stroke that occurs in the early stages of the development of this condition. Ataxia, or lack of coordination, is one type of movement disorder that often occurs in stroke patients. This is a fairly broad concept that generalizes several types of coordination disorders. In clinical practice, cerebellar ataxia is most often recorded as a result of circulatory disorders in the cerebellum.
2. Headaches and migraines
Migraine is a fairly common ailment. It is a type of headache attacks, the main distinguishing features of which are the distribution of pain sensations in one of the halves of the head (usually in the frontotemporal zone). The pain in this case is of a sharp pulsating nature. Also, this condition is characterized by an acute onset of an attack, photophobia, nausea, vomiting, and severe impotence after an attack. Rarely, such symptoms are mistaken for one of the manifestations of a stroke. It is much easier to make a differential diagnosis if migraine occurs in combination with other striking clinical manifestations of cerebral circulation disorders.
According to statistics, migraine during a stroke most often occurs in women. There is no clear explanation for this pattern, however, there is an opinion that this is due to the peculiarities of the structure of the brain in women, because it is the fair sex that suffers from chronic migraine attacks many times more often.
1. Restlessness and incoherent speech
Incoherent speech may not be a very pronounced symptom in a “silent” stroke. It occurs as a result of damage to certain areas of the brain. Stroke patients usually have two types of speech disorders: dysarthria and aphasia. Dysarthria occurs when the subcortical structures are damaged. It is characterized by impaired pronunciation of words caused by dysfunction of articulation, speech breathing and intonation. Because of this, it becomes difficult to understand a person’s speech. Also, with this disorder, increased salivation and inhibition of pronunciation are observed. At the same time, the patient does not lose the ability to understand the speech of others, write and read.
Aphasia is manifested by a violation of the pronunciation of words with intact hearing and articulation. This pathology occurs due to the fact that brain cells do not receive the full signal for the correct construction of speech.