Strokediagnosis requires a careful and fast medical examination, often with the aid of medical technology.
If yoususpect a stroke, call 911or rush to your nearest emergency room.
Regardless of the results of the CPSS, a professional, and immediate, evaluation is needed.
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The sooner a stroke can be diagnosed and treated, the better the outcome.
But when the heart has a defect in electrical conduction, it may beat with an irregular rhythm.
This is called an arrhythmia, or anirregular heartbeat.
Computed Tomography (CT)
This test is performed in the emergency room to detect ahemorrhagic stroke.
CT scans can also revealischemic strokes, but not until six to 12 hours after stroke onset.
MRI images of the brain are also superior in quality to CT images.
Narrow areas inside of a blood vessel demonstrate a different rate of blood flow than normal areas.
This information can be used by healthcare providers to follow the progress of partially blocked blood vessels.
Cerebral Angiography
Stroke doctors use this test to visualize blood vessels in the neck and brain.
DVTs can cause strokes by making a long journey that ends up in the brain.
First, a small fragment of a DVT breaks off and travels to the heart via the venous circulation.
Neuropathy
Neuropathy, a disease of the nerves, may at times be confused with stroke.
The symptoms of this common condition, like the symptoms of stroke, are bothersome and often unsettling.
Dementia
There are several types of dementia.
What they have in common is that they are characterized by gradually progressive cognitive and behavioral deficits.
Generally, cognitive and behavioral problems resulting from a stroke are more abrupt.
However, repeated strokes can sometimes produce symptoms that appear to resemble progressive dementia, making the distinction confusing.
Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s diseasesymptoms primarily include movement abnormalities, such as tremors and stiffness.
Migraine Headaches
Migraine headachesare headaches that are characterized by more than just a feeling of head pain.
They typically involve dizziness, photophobia (sensitivity to light), and phonophobia (sensitivity to noise).
These episodes, often referred to as migraine with aura, are typically quite alarming.
Migraine headaches associated with neurological deficits almost always improve.
There is a slightly increased risk of stroke among people who experience these types of migraines.
Myasthenia Gravis
Myasthenia gravis is an uncommon condition that is characterized by droopy eyelids at the onset.
As the condition progresses, it causes generalized weakness and can affect respiratory muscles.
MS is a lifelong illness characterized by exacerbations and remissions.
If you experience stroke symptoms that get better on their own, then that could be a TIA.
But a TIA is not something to gloss over.
Frequently Asked Questions
Each year, more than 795,000 people in the United States have a stroke.
About one in four of them have had a previous stroke.
2018 Mar;49(3):e46-e110.
doi:10.1161/STR.0000000000000158
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Stroke facts.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Signs and symptoms of stroke.
American Stroke Association.About stroke.
National Institutes of Health.NIH Stroke Scale.
