Posts filed under ‘Stroke’
Five signs you may be having a stroke
Think about what you were doing in the last ten minutes. In those past ten minutes, someone in Canada had a stroke.
A stroke is a medical emergency, where a blood clot or ruptured artery stops the flow of blood to the brain. With 50,000 occurring each year, strokes are the third leading cause of death in Canada.
“A lifestyle that includes a healthy diet and regular exercise can help to reduce your risk of stroke,” says Dr. Garry Moddel, a neurologist at The Scarborough Hospital. “Unfortunately, there are also many stroke risk factors, such as age, gender and family history that you can’t change.”
Diagnosing a stroke and receiving medical attention are crucial to recovery.
Dr. Moddel shares five signs you or a loved one may be having a stroke:
- A sudden numbness or weakness in your face, an arm or a leg. Even if these symptoms go away, you may still be at immediate risk of having a stroke.
- Trouble seeing out of one or both of your eyes.
- A sudden confusion or trouble speaking when having a conversation with others.
- Developing a headache that appears to be severe and sudden, with no real cause.
- Having problems walking, feeling dizzy, and losing your balance, particularly if in combination with any of the above signs.
