Unlike events such as a heart attack where there could be obvious signs of discomfort or pain, a silent stroke may include the following symptoms: Sudden lack of balance. Temporary loss of basic muscle movement (bladder included) Slight memory loss.
Yes, you can have a stroke and not know it. A stroke's effects can be undetectable if the stroke is small or if the tissue damaged does not serve a critical function. Evidence of the stroke would show on a CT scan or an MRI of the brain, but it might not produce symptoms.
This can cause sudden symptoms similar to a stroke, such as speech and visual disturbance, and numbness or weakness in the face, arms and legs. But a TIA does not last as long as a stroke. The effects last a few minutes to a few hours and fully resolve within 24 hours.
If a person has a brain scan and their doctor detects one or multiple silent strokes, they may prescribe medications. For instance, blood thinning medications can help to lower blood pressure, and cholesterol medications can help to lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.
A silent stroke is most often caused by reduced blood flow in one of the smaller arteries that feed the brain. It can occur without noticeable symptoms if it affects a part of the brain that doesn't control major movements or vital functions.
You must stop driving for at least 1 month after a transient ischaemic attack ( TIA ) or mini-stroke. This includes amaurosis fugax or retinal artery fugax. You can restart only when your doctor tells you it is safe.
Common physical conditions after a stroke include: Weakness, paralysis, and problems with balance or coordination. Pain, numbness, or burning and tingling sensations. Fatigue, which may continue after you return home.
Trouble walking, talking or understanding. Difficulty swallowing. Weakness, tingling or numbness, typically in one side of the body. Confusion.
During a silent stroke, an interruption in blood flow destroys areas of cells in a part of the brain that is "silent," meaning that it doesn't control any vital functions. Although the damage will show up on an MRI or CT scan, it's too small to produce any obvious symptoms.
Silent Doesn't Mean Harmless
While silent strokes often pass undetected, the damage they cause can be quite noticeable. Once you suffer from a silent stroke, your chances of suffering from more strokes in the future increase. The damage caused to the brain can result in significant cognitive decline or even death.
Usually, a silent stroke is discovered unexpectedly on a brain CT or brain MRI. These imaging tests can easily distinguish past strokes from recent strokes.
Fatigue affects the majority of people who have a stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA or mini-stroke). It can have a big effect on your life.
Silent strokes are much more common than strokes that cause classic symptoms such as face drooping, arm weakness and speech difficulty and affect nearly 800,000 Americans each year. According to the statement, one in four people over 80 have one or more silent strokes.
Around 70%reported that their TIA had long- term effects including memory loss, poor mobility, problems with speech and difficulty in understanding. 60%of people stated that their TIA had affected them emotionally. There is no way to tell whether a person is having a TIA or a stroke when the symptoms first start.
1–3 Months Post-Stroke
“The first three months after a stroke are the most important for recovery and when patients will see the most improvement,” says Raghavan. During this time, most patients will enter and complete an inpatient rehabilitation program, or make progress in their outpatient therapy sessions.
Some change to your behaviour is to be expected, and although it may be difficult to live with at times, it's likely to improve. Many people find that they have to learn what's 'normal' for them again after they've had a stroke. This will take time, for you and the people around you.
If the part of your brain that normally controls your emotions becomes damaged by a stroke, the result can be a change in how you think, feel or behave. No two strokes are ever the same because the part of the brain affected and the extent of the damage differs from person to person.
The Role of Sleep in Stroke Recovery
Quality sleep has many benefits, especially for stroke survivors. Getting a good night's sleep supports neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to restructure and create new neural connections in healthy parts of the brain, allowing stroke survivors to re-learn movements and functions.
Even after surviving a stroke, you're not out of the woods, since having one makes it a lot more likely that you'll have another. In fact, of the 795,000 Americans who will have a first stroke this year, 23 percent will suffer a second stroke.
Regarding the duration of fatigue after stroke, acute fatigue can last up to 6 months, whereas the chronic type can persist in 40% of patients after 2 years. Another study reported fatigue to be still present in one-third of patients up to 6 years after stroke onset.
Some people have strokes without realizing it. They're called silent strokes, and they either have no easy-to-recognize symptoms, or you don't remember them. But they do cause permanent damage in your brain. If you've had more than one silent stroke, you may have thinking and memory problems.
The ability to walk can be recovered after a stroke because the brain and spinal cord can change when a person does physical exercise as rehabilitation. Rehabilitation means to recover function after an injury. There are many types of tools that doctors can use to help with rehabilitation.
Unlike a CT scan, which takes several hours to reveal any blockages of blood flow, an MRI can uncover any brain damage within an hour of the onset of the stroke symptoms.