A stroke is a type of brain attack caused by blood flow being interrupted by a bleed or a blockage. Bleeds are less common than blockages, but both share the same symptoms and need to be recognised quickly to minimise the damage caused to brain cells.
Who can be affected by a stroke?
Anyone can be affected by a stroke, even babies. They are more common amongst older people, however, and those with particular health risks.
Spotting signs of stroke
One of the many things you can learn on emergency first aid training courses offered by training providers such as www.tidaltraining.co.uk/emergency-first-aid-training-courses, is spotting the signs of a stroke. The key message is to act FAST. The word FAST refers to face, arms, speech and time.
Signs of a stroke can be the face falling to one side and the person being unable to smile or a person being unable to raise both of their arms and hold them there. Speech can become slurred and a stroke sufferer may struggle to remember words or repeat a phrase. If any of these signs are spotted, it is time to get help by calling 999.
Other symptoms of stroke
There are other symptoms that may suggest that a person is suffering from a stroke, such as sudden numbness or weakness on one side of the body or difficulty speaking clearly in sentences or finding words. A person may experience sight loss or blurred vision, or sudden dizziness, confusion or memory loss. A sudden fall or lack of balance may be a sign of a stroke. Other signs to look out for include a severe or sudden headache or repeated vomiting.
Rapid response
A fast response is needed if someone is having a stroke, as the quicker the treatment, the less damage that is likely to be done. It is vital to call an ambulance straight away as around 1.9 million brain neurons can be lost for each minute that a stroke is left untreated.