The key facts
- About two thirds of strokes present with classic signs, while the rest show unusual symptoms
- Loss of part of the visual field may indicate damage to the posterior cerebral artery, weakness only in the leg — the anterior one
- In 'silent' strokes, areas of damage are discovered by chance, but ignoring them is dangerous
A stroke does not always look like it does in the movies
A stroke is not always accompanied by facial drooping, speech impairment and arm paralysis: sometimes a dangerous disruption of cerebral circulation is revealed by sudden loss of part of the visual field or weakness in only one leg. Neurologist Rustem Gayfutdinov spoke about this in an interview with Life.ru on World Stroke Day, observed on October 29. neurologist Rustem Gayfutdinov.
Symptoms depend on which part of the brain is affected
According to the specialist, about two thirds of strokes present with the classic signs — facial asymmetry, speech impairment and weakness in the limbs. The remaining cases depend on which part of the brain was damaged due to impaired blood supply. For example, a person may speak normally and move their arms, but bump into objects: part of their visual field is ignored, and they fail to notice obstacles or people coming toward them. This is one form of the disease, typical of damage to the posterior cerebral artery. With impaired blood flow in the territory of the anterior cerebral artery, by contrast, weakness may occur predominantly in the leg, while the face remains symmetrical, speech is normal, and the arm is barely affected. This is why relying only on the familiar signs is dangerous.
'Silent' strokes and the cost of delay
The neurologist also spoke about so-called silent strokes, in which small areas of brain damage produce no noticeable neurological deficits — the changes are sometimes discovered by chance during an examination. 'But this still needs to be taken seriously, because if the risk factors persist and we do nothing about them, the next stroke may be a major one,' Gayfutdinov warned. He emphasized the importance of neuroimaging: at the hospital, the scope of the examination will be determined, including a CT or MRI scan of the brain. If vision suddenly deteriorates, or there is weakness in an arm or leg, impaired coordination or speech, or facial asymmetry, an ambulance must be called immediately at 103 or 112 — even if the symptoms quickly disappeared, and it is important to remember the time they appeared.
Why every minute counts
The practical importance of seeking help quickly is illustrated by an earlier Life.ru report: in a major ischemic stroke without timely treatment, the brain can lose about 1.9 million neurons every minute, and the losses over an hour can be comparable to almost four years of natural brain aging, as explained by a Candidate of Medical Sciences. The actual consequences depend on the extent of the damage and how quickly help is provided. Thus, unusual symptoms such as loss of part of the visual field are not a reason to wait for the 'classic' picture to appear: delay directly affects the volume of irreversible damage.
