There’s a terrifying epidemic that involves some people suffering strokes without even realizing it. Known as silent strokes, they either have no discernible symptoms, or you just don’t remember them. But make no mistake, they can cause significant, permanent damage to the brain.
A stroke usually causes:
-Sudden weakness or numbness in the face, arm, or leg on one side of the body
-Abrupt loss of vision, strength, coordination, sensation, speech, or the ability to understand speech (these symptoms may become worse over time)
-Sudden dimness of vision, especially in one eye
-Sudden loss of balance, possibly accompanied by vomiting, nausea, fever, hiccups, or trouble with swallowing
-Sudden and severe headache with no other cause followed rapidly by loss of consciousness — indications of a stroke due to bleeding
-Brief loss of consciousness
-Unexplained dizziness or sudden falls
If someone has experienced numerous silent strokes, it’s highly plausible that they may have cognitive and memory problems. It’s also likely that they’ll have more severe strokes later down the line.
So how do you detect them before it’s too late?
Discovering a Silent Stroke
If a silent stroke is happening, it probably won’t be detectable unless a brain scan picks it up. Slight memory problems or mild difficulty in mobility may happen. A doctor may be able to see signs of silent strokes without testing.
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