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Recognizing Stroke Symptoms
When a stroke occurs, quick action could mean the difference between life and death, consciousness and a long-term coma, mobility and permanent paralysis. Because the blood clot or hemorrhage that caused the stroke reduces blood flow to the brain, receiving prompt treatment is necessary to reduce permanent brain damage. The sooner the person suffering a stroke can get to the hospital (ideally within 90 minutes of the onset), the sooner he or she will have access to treatments that can prevent or reduce disability.
But one of the biggest obstacles to stroke sufferers receiving emergency treatment is the fact that many people are not aware of stroke symptoms and are unable to identify when a stroke is occurring.
Could you recognize if you or someone around you was having a stroke? Take this quiz and find out.
1. Carol is a 36-year-old healthy woman. She wakes up one morning feeling groggy, with clammy hands. She feels a little dizzy and has pins and needles in her legs. A few hours pass and these symptoms go away. Are these symptoms early signals of a stroke?
2. Julius, a 70-year-old man with a history of high cholesterol and smoking, has a pounding headache, begins having slurred speech, and his vision becomes blurred. What steps should Julius take?
3. Sixty-five-year-old Claire suddenly starts shaking and convulsing in her office and her heart rate becomes extremely elevated. Is Claire having a stroke?
4. Twelve-year-old Tim is outside playing an aggressive game of basketball. After a couple hard knocks, he tells his friends he cannot feel his arm and has no control over it. He goes home and tells his parents that his arm feels "heavy." What should Tim's parents do?
