If you suspect that you are, or someone else is, having a stroke, you should seek immediate medical assistance by calling 911 and asking for an ambulance.

The symptoms of a stroke vary from person to person. As different parts of your brain control different parts of your body, your symptoms will depend upon the part of your brain that has been affected, and the extent of the damage.

The symptoms of a stroke usually come on suddenly, and can include:

• numbness, or weakness, down one side, ranging in severity from weakness in your hand, to complete paralysis of the whole side of your body,
• weakness in your face, which can make you drool saliva,
• dizziness,
• communication problems; difficulty talking and understanding what others are saying,
• problems with balance and coordination,
• difficulty swallowing,
• severe headaches, and
• loss of consciousness (in severe cases).

Recognizing a stroke in other people

One of the problems with strokes is that people who are affected by them often have problems communicating with others. They therefore may not be able to raise an alarm, or alert others to the fact that something is wrong.

It is important to be aware of the symptoms of a stroke, particularly if you live with, or care for, somebody in a high-risk group, such as someone who is elderly, or those with diabetes, or high blood pressure (hypertension).

A good way of remembering the symptoms of a stroke, is to remember the word 'FAST', where:

• 'F' stands for facial numbness, or weakness, particularly on one side,
• 'A' stands for arm numbness, or weakness, particularly on one side,
• 'S' stands for slurred speech, or difficulty understanding, and
• 'T' stands for time, which is of the essence (call 911 immediately).

It cannot be stressed enough how important prompt emergency treatment is for strokes. Typically, 1.9 million brain cells are lost for each minute a stroke goes untreated.

Also, one of the treatments for strokes, known as thrombolysis (where medicines are used to remove blood clots), must begin no later than three hours after the stroke occurred.

Transient ischaemic attack (TIA)

The symptoms of a transient ischaemic attack (TIA) are the same as for a stroke, but they only last from between a few minutes to a few hours, before completely disappearing. However, you should never ignore a TIA as it is a serious warning sign that there is a problem with the blood supply to your brain.

There is a 20% chance that those who have a TIA will experience a full stroke at some time during the four weeks following the TIA. If you have had a TIA, you should contact your doctor, local hospital, or emergency department, to arrange for a specialist assessment.

It is recommended that anyone who experiences a TIA receives a specialist assessment within seven days of a TIA occurring. Some people have a higher risk of having a stroke following a TIA. Risk factors include:

• diabetes,
• being aged 60, or above,
• having high blood pressure (hypertension),
• having TIA symptoms which last for more than an hour, and
• experiencing both weakness in the body and problems with speech during a TIA.

It is recommended that anyone at high risk of a stroke following a TIA, should receive a specialist assessment within 24 hours