Tell-tale signs that point to a stroke

Q: LIKE most of his colleagues, my husband is a workaholic. Last weekend while he was playing golf, he suddenly felt weak and had a tingling sensation in his arm and leg. He had a little trouble seeing and afterwards had a very bad headache. The whole episode lasted only minutes, and he felt well enough to continue playing after resting in the club house. He attributed this to heat and humidity and doesn't want to see a doctor, but to me it is very worrisome because my father had a stroke and the symptoms were similar. Please tell us what to do next.

Dr Rose writes: A stroke is the most common cause of neurological disability in developed countries. It occurs when there is injury or damage to the brain tissue resulting from an interruption in blood flow, which in about 25 per cent of cases is caused by bleeding from the cerebral artery. The other 75 per cent of the time it results from a blockage in the artery.

Transient neurological symptoms such as headaches, blurry vision, dizziness, weakness of the arms and legs, tingling sensation, difficulty with speech or calculations and confusion can be early indicators of a more severe problem, such as a narrowing of a cerebral artery, a clot, or a clot that has travelled from another part of the body. All of these may result in a transient reduction in the blood flow to a part of the brain.

The important risk factors for strokes include high blood pressure, sugar diabetes, smoking and atherosclerosis.

It is very important to get the patient to medical attention as soon as symptoms of a stroke appear, preferably within the first six hours. There are many new drugs and treatments that can now limit damage.

It is also important to seek prompt medical attention since these symptoms can mimic many other more benign conditions such as migraine, stress, anxiety and flu.