Symptoms of stroke
Symptoms of the stroke typically start suddenly, over seconds to minutes,. The symptoms
depend on the area of the brain affected. The more the area of brain affected, the more
functions that are likely to be lost. Some forms of stroke can cause additional symptoms. For
example, in intracranial hemorrhage, the affected area may compress other structures. Most
forms of stroke are not associated with headache, apart from subarachnoid hemorrhage and
cerebral venous thrombosis and occasionally intracerebral hemorrhage
. If the area of the brain affected contains one of the
these central nervous system pathways— spinothalamic tract
corticospinal tract, and dorsal column (medial lemniscus,
symptoms may include:
1) there will be hemeplegia and weakness of the muscles of face
2) there is feeling of numbness
3) there is decreased in sensation.
4) Firstly there is flaccidity (hypotonicity), replaced by spasticity (hypertonicity), followed by
In most cases, the symptoms affect only one side of
the body i.e. .unilateral . Depending on the part of the brain affected, the defect in the brain
is usually on the opposite side of the body.
Brain stem give rise to 12 cranial nerves, stroke affecting the brain stem and
brain therefore can produce symptoms relating to defect in these cranial nerves:
There is total or partial loss of smell, taste, hearing, or vision.
Ptosis is common i.e.drooping of eyelid and weakness of ocular muscles
There is decreased reflexes: swallow, pupil reactivity to light
decreased sensation and muscle weakness of the face
nystagmus and balance problem is common
altered breathing and heart rate
patient is notable to turn head to one side because of weakness in
sternocleidomastoid muscle
due to weakness in tongue muscles there is difficulty in protruding or move side
If the cerebral cortex is involved following
symptoms can be seen
aphasia (difficulty with verbal expression, auditory comprehension, reading and/or
writing Broca's or Wernicke's area is commonly involved)
dysarthria (difficulty in speech)
apraxia (altered voluntary movements)
visual disturbances
memory deficits due to the involvement of temporal lobe
hemineglect due to the involvement of parietal lobe
disorganized thinking, confusion, hypersexual gestures because there is involvement
anosognosia (persistent denial of the existence of a, usually stroke-related, deficit)
If the cerebellum is involved, the patient may have the following:
difficulty in walking
altered movement coordination
vertigo and or disequilibrium
Associated symptoms
There is loss of consciousness, headache, and vomiting usually occurs more often in
hemorrhagic stroke than in thrombosis because of the increased intracranial pressure from
the leaking blood compressing the brain.