Guide To The Symptoms Of An Ischemic Stroke

Sudden Headache

Between seven and sixty-five percent of individuals who have an ischemic stroke also experience a sudden headache before or as their stroke occurs. A headache that occurs due to an ischemic stroke will have a focal point in the patient's brain where the blockage has occurred. A headache in the patient's forehead can indicate their stroke is occurring in their carotid artery, the major artery in their neck that provides blood to the brain.

A headache that occurs in the rear side of a patient's head can indicate a stroke is occurring in their vertebrobasilar system. This system is responsible for the blood supply to the back of their brain. One way to distinguish an everyday headache or migraine from a headache caused by a stroke is by the speed of its onset. An ordinary headache typically develops slowly. Conversely, a headache that occurs due to an ischemic stroke will occur suddenly and without warning.

Confusion Or Trouble Speaking

An individual having an ischemic stroke may begin to have problems with communication. They may speak with sentences that do not make any logical sense, speak in incomplete sentences, and use one word in the place of another. They may also say nonexistent words, be unable to understand the conversation between others, and may not be capable of writing words or sentences that make sense.

Most individuals have the components that control their ability to understand language and speak in the left side of their brain. This location may be reversed in left-handed individuals. A stroke that affects this part of the brain can cause the patient to be unable to understand and put together words. Another mechanism through which a stroke can cause a patient to have problems speaking is when they cannot coordinate the movement of their mouth to make sounds or words. General confusion often manifests with speech problems in patients having an ischemic stroke.