These are the signs that should alert you days in advance

Strokes, if not treated immediately, can lead to death or long-term disability in people who suffer from them. However, contrary to popular belief, while symptoms often appear suddenly, some people may experience symptoms several days earlier. This is indeed the warning recently published in a special article by medical professionals at the Cardiac Screen Clinic (London). Recall that a cerebrovascular accident, often still called a “stroke,” occurs when blood flow to the brain or brain is interrupted by a blocked blood vessel (the most common ischemic stroke) or a ruptured blood vessel (hemorrhagic stroke). , in less than 15% of cases). According to the statement of the Ministry of Health, ” symptoms depend on the area of ​​the brain affected and the extent of the damage. Certain symptoms that correspond to the most affected areas should make you think about it. »

A stroke manifests itself as a deformity of the mouth (when a person smiles, the smile is not symmetrical), weakness on one side of the body, an arm or a leg (one of the arms cannot be raised or remains high, falls), or even manifests itself. speech disorders (when the person is asked to repeat a sentence, has difficulty speaking or understanding). It found that these warning signs “may be accompanied by sudden loss of balance, severe headaches or loss of vision. “, – the ministry notes. In addition, there is an English mnemonic for identifying a stroke and asking a person the right questions: FAST is an abbreviation of face, arm, speech and time. It corresponds to F (face or face, when the face looks unusual) you need to ask the person to smile, A (arm or arm, one of the arms stays down) you need to ask the person to raise both arms, S. (speech or speech, the person speaks strangely) you need to ask him to repeat a sentence and T (time or emergency), you should call an ambulance.

Transient ischemic attack: an alarm that should not be ignored

But the clinic’s experts warn: stroke symptoms often appear suddenly, but that doesn’t mean you won’t have time to act. Some people will experience symptoms a few days before a stroke. The study found that stroke patients had mini-stroke symptoms up to a week before having a major stroke. Thus, 43% of the patients studied were victims of headaches, dizziness, numbness or tingling in the limbs or face, mental confusion, muscle weakness in the arms or legs, as well as changes in the field of vision. “ If you note these symptoms and seek help even if they go away, you have a better chance of a good recovery. Ignore the warning signs. If there is a change, you are not overreacting, you have had a transient ischemic attack (TIA). Get help right away, as more serious strokes can take hours or days to develop. »add the last one.

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The reference is therefore to a transient ischemic attack (TIA), also known as a mini-cerebrovascular accident. If TIA symptoms are similar to CVA symptoms (as risk factors), they tend to disappear on their own within an hour. But be careful: this is a phenomenon that really requires immediate treatment, a warning that there is an obstruction of blood circulation in the brain, because this phenomenon occurs when the blood of a blood vessel is blocked for a short time by a small clot. A TIA is a warning sign that indicates a person is at risk of having a full-blown stroke in the near future. Hospice Civils de Lyon believes that ” stroke risk is close to 90% in 3 months, half of which is in the first 48 hours” and approximately 30,000 AITs/year occur in France. The medical journal Vidal notes that this risk is higher in people older than 60, with high blood pressure or diabetes, or if TIA symptoms include local paralysis or a language disorder lasting more than ten minutes.

However, there is a risk that the symptoms of a transient ischemic attack may be ignored by the person suffering from it or may be mistaken for a mild illness by others. It’s actually quite the opposite, as Inserm emphasizes that AIT “ it is privileged to implement the prevention of cerebral infarction by medical or surgical treatment. Its diagnosis is essentially clinical and based on questioning, but brain imaging is still required to visualize any lesions and determine the underlying cause. Its treatment, meanwhile, primarily involves the use of drugs to minimize the risk of further clotting. But it’s also about focusing on prevention and implementing a healthy lifestyle to control cardiovascular risk factors: regular medical monitoring or treatment to control diabetes and/or cholesterol, stopping smoking, eating a balanced diet, being physically active restore activity… In this framework, therapeutic educational programs can be offered to patients and their families.