Stroke

Overview

What is a stroke?

 A stroke is when blood stops flowing to a part of your brain. It can affect things like speech and movement, and take a long time to recover. A stroke needs urgent medical help in hospital because it can be life-threatening.

Signs and Symptoms

The main symptoms of a stroke can happen suddenly. They may include:

• face weakness – one side of your face may droop (fall) and it might be hard to smile
• arm weakness – you may not be able to fully lift both arms and keep them there because of weakness or numbness in 1 arm
• speech problems – you may slur your words or sound confused

The easiest way to remember these symptoms is the word FAST. This stands for: face, arms, speech and time to call an ambulance.

Other symptoms of a stroke

There are other signs that you or someone else is having a stroke. These include:

• weakness or numbness down 1 side of your body
• blurred vision or loss of sight in 1 or both eyes
• finding it difficult to speak or think of words
• confusion and memory loss
• feeling dizzy or falling over
• a severe headache
• feeling or being sick (nausea or vomiting)

Symptoms of a stroke can sometimes stop after a short time, so you may think you're OK. Even if this happens, get medical help straight away.

A stroke is more likely to happen if you're older, but it can happen at any age.

Immediate First Aid Steps 

The FAST guide is the most important thing to remember when dealing with people who have had a stroke.

The earlier they receive treatment, the better. 

Call for emergency medical help straight away.

If you think a person has had a stroke, use the FAST guide:

• Face – the face may have dropped on 1 side, the person may not be able to smile, or their mouth or eye may have drooped.
• Arms – the person with suspected stroke may not be able to lift both arms and keep them there because of weakness or numbness in 1 arm.
• Speech – their speech may be slurred or garbled, or the person may not be able to talk at all despite appearing to be awake.
• Time – it's time to dial 999 immediately if you notice any of these signs or symptoms.

If a person had symptoms of a stroke but they do not have them now, you should still call an ambulance as it may have been a mini-stroke (also called a transient ischaemic attack or TIA).

Do not drive yourself to the Emergency Department. Ask someone to drive you or call an ambulance instead. The emergency operator should guide you on what to do while you wait for help.

When To Seek Medical Help

Call an ambulance or seek immediate medical help (e.g. Emergency Department) if:

• you think you're having, or have had a stroke
• you've had signs of a stroke within the last 24 hours even if they've now stopped