The symptoms

The symptoms of a stroke depend on which part of the brain is affected and how severe the damage is. This means that the symptoms can be very different.

Symptoms include:

• Sudden onset of weakness or paralysis on one side of the body, especially an arm, leg or face
• Speech difficulties in connection with paralysis, usually on the right side of the body, or difficulties understanding spoken words.
• Visual disturbances (double vision, blurred vision, temporary loss of vision in one eye, half-sided loss of a visual field)
• Dizziness with unsteady gait, loss of balance or coordination
• Sudden clouding of consciousness to the point of unconsciousness
• Nausea, vomiting, confusion
• Sudden onset of very severe headache

Around one in three strokes is preceded by transient circulatory disorders of the brain, known as transient ischemic attacks (TIA). TIAs only last a few minutes, at most a few hours. They are warning signs of a stroke that may be imminent in the foreseeable future.