Watch out for stroke symptoms

Neurosurgeon Vikas Gupta discusses the early warning signs of strokes and stresses the importance of seeking medical intervention on time

In the last two decades, incidents of stroke have been rising alarmingly. Already, India is fast becoming the diabetic capital of the world. Obesity is on the rise too. Strokes affect many young and middle-aged people around the age of 40 years, and the real tragedy is that most people have no awareness about this risk. One in six among us may be at risk of strokes. Typical symptoms It is best to know the symptoms of mini strokes or transient ischemic attacks like sudden and temporary loss of vision, numbness or weakness in any one part of the arm, leg, or face, slurring of speech, asymmetry of the face, sudden confusion or trouble in speaking or understanding, trouble in walking, dizziness or lack of balance, or a sudden severe headache with no known cause.

Medically these patients are at the highest risk of an acute stroke, and most can benefit from timely medical treatment if it reaches them in less than four hours. If these minor symptoms are ignored and a full blown stroke is established, then nothing much can be done. The only option left then is to treat the patient by the time-consuming process of physiotherapy. Thus an acute stroke has the potential of rendering even a productive younger member of society incapacitated and handicapped. This can be debilitating for nuclear families and in the Indian scenario, where there is no concept of social security systems.Treating a stroke A mini stroke or TIA should be taken as angina of the brain -- the only difference is an absence of pain. A TIA or transient ischemic attack is a "warning stroke" or "mini-stroke" that produces stroke-like symptoms with no lasting damage. Recognising and treating TIAs can, therefore, reduce your risk of a major stroke. The usual TIA symptoms are the same as those of a stroke, but only temporary. The short duration of these symptoms and lack of permanent brain injury is the main difference between TIA and stroke. Therefore, largely, only the patient can analyse these early symptoms and seek medical help in time. Other preventive measures and precautions include avoiding smoking, and keeping hypertension in control.