Don't mistake these signs for other illnesses; time matters

Strokes do not always present with the well-known signs such as speech disturbance or weakness on one side of the body. Sudden severe dizziness, blurred vision, confusion, and loss of balance can also be signs; these symptoms require immediate medical attention.

A stroke does not always present with recognizable symptoms such as slurred speech or weakness on one side of the body. Severe and sudden dizziness, blurred vision, confusion and balance disorder can also be its symptoms; Symptoms that require immediate medical attention.

According to Ambassador Arjan, a stroke kills millions of people around the world every year or makes them physically and mentally disabled. However, many sufferers stop receiving medical care in the first hours, when treatment is most effective in reducing brain damage. The cause of this delay is not always ignoring the symptoms; Sometimes the symptoms of a stroke are so similar to common complications such as fatigue, anxiety, migraine or inner ear disorders that not only patients but also doctors may be mistaken.

The importance of early diagnosis comes from the fact that nerve cells are damaged when blood supply to the brain is disturbed, and every minute of delay in treatment may have irreparable consequences. Studies show that in some strokes caused by blood vessel blockage, nearly two million nerve cells may be destroyed every minute with the continuation of the blood supply disorder. Therefore, recognizing the signs that are less noticed plays a decisive role in preventing severe injuries and even saving the patient's life.

sudden dizziness; A sign beyond inner ear problems

Dizziness is one of the symptoms that many attribute to things like getting up suddenly, not eating, fatigue, or inner ear disorders; While severe and sudden dizziness, especially if accompanied by balance disorder or difficulty walking, may be a sign of a stroke.

A study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association shows that patients presenting to the emergency room with dizziness are nearly twice as likely to be misdiagnosed as having a stroke than those with more recognizable symptoms.

Strokes involving the cerebellum may be accompanied by dizziness, nausea, vomiting, slurred speech, motor incoordination, headache, and sometimes hearing loss. Since many of these symptoms are also common in inner ear diseases, it is not always easy to diagnose their root cause. However, the sudden onset of severe vertigo, especially with other neurological symptoms, is a condition that should not be attributed to fatigue or transient ear complications.

sudden changes in vision; A warning that may be attributed to eye strain

Blurred vision, diplopia, or temporary reduction of vision are other symptoms that may appear during a stroke, but many people, especially those who work long hours on a cell phone or computer, consider these changes to be the result of eye fatigue.

Impaired blood supply to parts of the visual system, including the retina or image processing centers in the brain, affects visual performance. In some cases, the patient suddenly experiences a decrease in vision in one eye or visual impairment in both eyes without any other obvious signs of a stroke.

If the stroke involves the posterior part of the brain, the brain's ability to process visual information is impaired. This condition may be accompanied by blurred vision, loss of part of the visual field, or other visual disturbances. Double vision may also be caused by damage to the nerve pathways that control eye movements, and sometimes it is accompanied by dizziness and balance disorders.

The important point is that a sudden and unexplained change in vision, even if it is not accompanied by pain or resolves after a while, requires immediate medical attention.

sudden confusion; When brain disorder is mistaken for fatigue

A stroke does not always begin with facial muscle weakness or weakness in the arms and legs. Sometimes the first sign is a sudden change in a person's ability to understand speech, follow a conversation, or do things they could easily do before.

In such a situation, people around may think that the person has lost concentration due to mental pressure, lack of sleep, or extreme fatigue, while these changes may be caused by malfunctioning of parts of the brain.

The findings of the American Heart Association show that mental status change was one of the most common initial symptoms among patients whose stroke was not diagnosed in the first examination. More than a third of these patients had changes in their mental state, and general weakness and fatigue were also reported as other symptoms.

Because confusion and loss of concentration occur in many diseases and depending on everyday conditions, it is difficult to diagnose their main cause. However, if a person suddenly has trouble understanding others' words, expressing his meaning, or performing normal activities, this situation should not be attributed to fatigue.

Numbness on one side of the body; A symptom that may be confused with falling asleep

The feeling of tingling or numbness in the hands and feet is a familiar feeling that often occurs after sitting or sleeping in an awkward position and disappears when the body position is changed. But the same feeling, when it appears suddenly and without a specific cause on one side of the body, may be a sign of a disorder in the blood supply to the brain.

Strokes that involve sensory or motor areas of the brain may cause numbness, tingling, or weakness in the face and hands and feet. These complications sometimes affect only one side of the body and the patient may not realize their connection with stroke at first.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identifies numbness or sudden weakness of the face, arms and legs, especially on one side of the body, as one of the most important warning signs of a stroke.

What is important in diagnosing this condition is how the symptoms start. Numbness caused by pressure on the nerve is usually related to the position of the limb, but sudden and unexplained numbness or weakness, especially if it involves one side of the body, should be considered a possible sign of stroke and requires immediate evaluation even after resolution.

severe and sudden headache; The danger that may be hidden behind migraine

Headaches are one of the most common physical problems and many people, especially those with a history of migraines, are used to periods of severe pain. However, a headache that starts suddenly and peaks in intensity over a short period of time may be a sign of a much more serious condition.

This type of headache, sometimes referred to as a "thunder headache", may be caused by bleeding around the brain or other dangerous neurological problems. Some patients describe its intensity as if it was the worst headache of their life.

In a hemorrhagic stroke, a severe headache may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, dizziness, impaired consciousness, or other neurological symptoms. Of course, every severe and sudden headache does not necessarily mean a stroke, and diseases such as meningitis may also cause similar symptoms.

What distinguishes this type of headache from many common headaches is its sudden onset and unusual intensity. For this reason, even people with a long history of migraines should not ignore a headache that differs in severity, onset, or symptoms from their previous experiences.

nausea and vomiting; Symptoms that are not always of digestive origin

Nausea and vomiting are usually associated with food poisoning, gastrointestinal infections, or stomach problems, but in some cases, these symptoms may be caused by malfunctioning parts of the brain, especially when a stroke affects areas responsible for balance and coordination of body movements.

Research published in the field of emergency medicine shows that the occurrence of nausea and vomiting in some stroke patients greatly increases the possibility of misdiagnosis of the disease. In one of the studies, the possibility of misdiagnosis in patients with these symptoms was reported to be nearly four times higher.

The reason for this mistake is due to the similarity of stroke symptoms in the posterior parts of the brain with digestive diseases and inner ear disorders. A patient presenting with nausea, vomiting, and dizziness may at first appear to have a gastrointestinal infection or balance disorder, while it is likely that the underlying cause is in the nervous system.

Of course, nausea alone is not a specific symptom of a stroke, but if it is suddenly accompanied by balance disorder, diplopia, weakness on one side of the body or other neurological changes, the possibility of a more serious problem should be considered.

walking disorder; When loss of balance is a sign of stroke

Accidental contact with objects, stumbling or difficulty maintaining balance may occur due to fatigue, physical weakness or even wearing inappropriate shoes. However, a sudden loss of balance, especially when the person has not had such a problem before, may be a sign of a stroke.

This disorder, which is called "ataxia" in medicine, may be caused by damage to the cerebellum or nerve pathways responsible for coordinating movements. The Cleveland Clinic has also introduced a sudden disturbance in the balance and coordination of body parts as possible symptoms of a stroke.

This condition becomes more difficult to diagnose when the symptoms disappear after a few minutes. Many people think that the problem is solved when the balance returns, while such an attack may be a sign of vascular blockage; A condition in which the blood supply to part of the brain is temporarily interrupted, causing stroke-like symptoms.

An incomplete stroke (transient ischemic attack) may last only a few minutes and usually resolves without causing obvious permanent damage to brain tissue, but it is an important warning about an increased risk of future strokes. Therefore, the return of the ability to walk or the resolution of dizziness and balance disorder does not mean that the situation is safe.

According to this report, despite the progress of diagnostic methods, identifying stroke in some patients is still one of the challenges of emergency medicine. The reason for this difficulty is that not all patients present with known symptoms such as facial muscle relaxation, speech disorder or paralysis on one side of the body, and sometimes the symptoms of the disease are similar to problems that are much more common and less dangerous.