Stroke : Symptoms

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The symptoms of stroke depend on what part of the brain is damaged. In some cases, a person may not even be aware that he or she has had a stroke. Usually, a SUDDEN development of one or more of the following indicates a stroke: Weakness or paraly...
Source:ADAM
Date:March 15, 2007
Cerebrovascular Accident:: The symptoms of stroke depend upon the part of the brain that is affected, and how large a portion of brain tissue has been damaged by the CVA. The severity of these symptoms will depend.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health
Stroke : Symptoms.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health
An arrhythmia is any disorder of your heart rate or rhythm. It means your heart beats too fast, too slow, or with an irregular pattern. When the heart beats faster than normal, it is called tachycardia. When the heart beats too slow, it is called bradycardia.
Source:ADAM
Date:November 6, 2006
An arrhythmia is an abnormality in the heart ' s rhythm, or heartbeat pattern. The heartbeat can be too slow, too fast, have extra beats, skip a beat, or otherwise beat irregularly.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Agnosia is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by the inability to recognize common objects, persons, or sounds, in the absence of perceptual disability. There are three major types of agnosia: visual agnosia, auditory agnosia, and tactile agnosia.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Neurological Disorders
Aphasia is condition characterized by either partial or total loss of the ability to communicate verbally or using written words. A person with aphasia may have difficulty speaking, reading, writing, recognizing the names of objects, or understanding what other people have said.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Aphasia is a communication disorder that occurs after language has been developed, usually in adulthood. Not simply a speech disorder, aphasia can affect the ability to comprehend the speech of others, as well as the ability to read and write.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Neurological Disorders
Treating AphasiaAphasia occurs when a part of the brain that processes language is damaged. Most people who have a stroke or a brain injury are tested for aphasia.
Source:StayWell
Date:August 14, 2003
What Is Aphasia?Aphasia is a loss of language skills.
Source:StayWell
Date:August 14, 2003
Aphasia is an impairment of spoken language understanding and expression associated with brain damage. Neurologic etiologies that affect the left cerebral cortex can lead to aphasia (sometimes termed dysphasia).
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health
A condition, caused by neurological damage or disease, in which a person ' s previous capacity to understand or express language is impaired. In aphasia, the ability to understand language and to translate thoughts into words has been impaired by injury to the brain.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Childhood and Adolescence
Choking is when someone can't breathe because food, a toy, or other object is blocking the airway (throat or windpipe).
Source:ADAM
Date:January 16, 2007
Choking is a condition caused by inhalation of a foreign object that partially or fully blocks the airway. Choking is a major cause of respiratory emergencies and cardiac arrest in infants and children.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health
This is an extreme medical emergency. Knowing what to do can help save your baby's life.
Source:StayWell
Date:August 14, 2003
Blockage of the throat or windpipe by an object. Choking is a major cause of death for children under three, and is a hazard for older children as well.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Childhood and Adolescence
Choking is the inability to breathe because the trachea is blocked, constricted, or swollen shut. Choking is a medical emergency.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
First Aid: ChokingCall 911 if the victim loses consciousness.Choking occurs when the airway to the lungs becomes blocked, placing the victim's life in danger. Start rescue techniquesright away.1Identify ChokingLook for a hand raised to the throat,...
Source:StayWell
Date:August 14, 2003
Chorea refers to brief, repetitive, jerky, or dancelike uncontrolled movements caused by muscle contractions that occur as symptoms of several different disorders. The English word " chorea " itself comes from the Greek word choreia , which means " dance.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Neurological Disorders
Confusion is the inability to think with your usual speed or clarity. When confused, you have difficulty focusing your attention and may feel disoriented. Confusion interferes with your ability to make decisions.
Source:ADAM
Date:May 16, 2006
Uncoordinated movement is an abnormality of muscle control or an inability to finely coordinate movements, resulting in a jerky, unsteady, to-and-fro motion of the trunk or the limbs.
Source:ADAM
Date:March 5, 2007
Ataxia, a medical term originated from the Greek language meaning " without order, " refers to disturbances in the control of body posture, motor coordination, speech control, and eye movements. Several brain areas, including the cerebellum and the spinocerebellar tracts, substantia nigra, pons, and cerebral cortex control these functions.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Neurological Disorders
Lack of coordination in the muscles. Ataxia, an extreme lack of coordination of the muscles, is a symptom of damage to the central nervous system.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Childhood and Adolescence
Developmental coordination disorder is diagnosed when children do not develop normal motor coordination (coordination of movements involving the voluntary muscles). Developmental coordination disorder has been known by many other names, some of which are still used today.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders
Depression may be described as feeling sad, blue, unhappy, miserable, or down in the dumps. Most of us feel this way at one time or another for short periods. But true clinical depression is a mood disorder in which feelings of sadness, loss, anger, or frustration interfere with everyday life for an extended time. See also depression in the elderly and adolescent depression .
Source:ADAM
Date:May 17, 2007
Depression, also known as depressive disorders or unipolar depression, is a mental illness characterized by a profound and persistent feeling of sadness or despair and/or a loss of interest in things that once were pleasurable. Disturbance in sleep, appetite, and mental processes are a common accompaniment.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine
Depression is sometimes referred to as the common cold of mental illness. It is a debilitating disease with significant societal costs.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Public Health
Developmental reading disorder, also called dyslexia, is a reading disability resulting from the inability to process graphic symbols.
Source:ADAM
Date:December 6, 2006
Reading disorder is a learning disorder that involves significant impairment of reading accuracy, speed, or comprehension to the extent that the impairment interferes with academic achievement or activities of daily life. People with reading disorder perform reading tasks well below the level one would expect on the basis of their general intelligence, educational opportunities, and physical health.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders
Dizziness is lightheadedness, feeling like you might faint, being unsteady, loss of balance, or vertigo (a feeling that you or the room is spinning or moving). Most causes of dizziness are not serious and either quickly resolve on their own or are easily treated.
Source:ADAM
Date:April 3, 2007
Dizziness is classified into three categories- vertigo, syncope, and nonsyncope nonvertigo. Each category has a characteristic set of symptoms, all related to the sense of balance.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine
As a disorder, dizziness is classified into three categories: vertigo, syncope, and nonsyncope nonvertigo. Each category has its own set of symptoms, all related to the sense of balance.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health
As a disorder, dizziness is classified into three categories- vertigo, syncope, and nonsyncope nonvertigo. Each category has a characteristic set of symptoms, all related to the sense of balance.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Dizziness is a general term that describes sensations of imbalance and unsteadiness, such as vertigo, mild turning, imbalance, and near fainting or fainting. Feelings of dizziness stem from the vestibular system, which includes the brain and the parts of the inner ear that sense position and motion, coupled with sensory information from the eyes, skin, and muscle tension.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Neurological Disorders
Visual disturbances are abnormalities of sight. Visual disturbances associated with neurological disorders often include double vision (diplopia), moving or blurred vision due to nystagmus (involuntary rapid movements of the eyes), reduced visual acuity, reduced visual field, and partial or total loss of vision as in papilledema, a swelling of the optic disc, or in blindness.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Neurological Disorders
Drowsiness refers to feeling abnormally sleepy during the day -- often with a strong tendency to actually fall asleep in inappropriate situations or at inappropriate times.
Source:ADAM
Date:February 9, 2006
Hypersomnia refers to a set of related disorders that involve excessive daytime sleepiness. There are two main categories of hypersomnia: primary hypersomnia (sometimes called idiopathic hypersomnia) and recurrent hypersomnia (sometimes called recurrent primary hypersomnia).
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders
This is excessive drooping of the upper eyelid(s). See also drooping eyelid disease (ptosis).
Source:ADAM
Date:November 14, 2005
Ptosis is the term used for a drooping upper eyelid. Ptosis, also called blepharoptosis, can affect one or both eyes.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Facial paralysis is the total loss of voluntary muscle movement of one side of the face.
Source:ADAM
Date:March 5, 2007
Bowel incontinence is the loss of bowel control, resulting in involuntary passage of feces. This can range from an occasional leakage of stool with the passage of gas to a complete loss of control of bowel movements. Urinary incontinence , a separate topic, is the inability to control the passage of urine.
Source:ADAM
Date:November 18, 2006
Fecal incontinence is the inability to control the passage of gas or stools (feces) through the anus. For some people, fecal incontinence is a relatively minor problem that is limited to a slight occasional soiling of underwear, but for others it involves a considerable loss of bowel control.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health
Fecal incontinence is the inability to control the passage of gas or stools (feces) through the anus. For some people fecal incontinence is a relatively minor problem, as when it is limited to a slight occasional soiling of underwear, but for other people it involves a considerable loss of bowel control and has a devastating effect on quality of life and psychological well-being.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Walking abnormalities are unusual and uncontrollable walk patterns, usually caused by diseases or injuries to the legs, feet, brain, spine, or inner ear.
Source:ADAM
Date:March 5, 2007
A generalized tonic-clonic seizure is a seizure involving the entire body, usually characterized by muscle rigidity , violent rhythmic muscle contractions , and loss of consciousness . The condition is caused by abnormal electrical activity in the nerve cells of the brain.
Source:ADAM
Date:November 21, 2006
A headache is pain or discomfort in the head, scalp, or neck. Serious causes of headaches are extremely rare. Most people with headaches can feel much better by making lifestyle changes, learning ways to relax, and occasionally by taking medications. See also: Tension headache Cluster headache Migraine with aura Migraine without aura
Source:ADAM
Date:May 16, 2006
A headache is a pain in the head and neck region that may be either a disorder in its own right or a symptom HEADACHE THERAPIES Type Acupressure Press pointer fingers beneath cheekbones and parallel to pupils (Stomach 3) for one minute. Squeeze fleshy area between thumb and pointer finger (Large Intestine 4) for one minute.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine
A headache involves pain in the head that can arise from many disorders or may be a disorder in and of itself. Headaches can be categorized as primary or secondary.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health
A headache involves pain in the head which can arise from many disorders or may be a disorder in and of itself. There are three types of primary headaches: tension-type (muscular contraction headache), migraine (vascular headaches), and cluster.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Headache is a pain in the head and neck region that may be either a disorder in its own right or a symptom of an underlying medical condition or disease. The medical term for headache is cephalalgia.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Neurological Disorders
Hemianopsia is a term that describes a loss of vision that affects half of the visual field of one eye or both eyes. Hemianopsia prevents an individual from seeing objects in half of the visual field of a particular eye.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Neurological Disorders
Hypertension means high blood pressure. This generally means: Systolic blood pressure is consistently over 140 (systolic is the "top" number of your blood pressure measurement, which represents the pressure generated when the heart beats) Diastolic blood pressure is consistently over 90 (diastolic is the "bottom" number of your blood pressure measurement, which represents the pressure in the vessels when the heart is at rest) Either or both of these numbers may be too high. Pre-hypertension is when your systolic blood pressure is between 120 and 139 or your diastolic blood pressure is between 80 and 89 on multiple readings. If you have pre-hypertension, you are likely to develop high blood pressure at some point. Therefore, your doctor will recommend lifestyle changes to bring your blood pressure down to normal range.
Source:ADAM
Date:June 4, 2007
Blood pressure is the force with which blood pushes against the artery walls as it travels through the body. Like air in a balloon, blood fills arteries to a certain capacity- and just as too much air pressure can cause damage to a balloon, too much blood pressure can harm healthy arteries.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Nutrition and Well Being
Also known as high blood pressure, a condition in which too much force is exerted by the blood as it travels through the body ' s arteries. There are two types of hypertension: primary and secondary.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Childhood and Adolescence
Each day that your blood pressure is too high, your chances of having a stroke are increased.
Source:StayWell
Date:August 14, 2003
Hypertension is the medical term for high blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of arteries as it flows through them.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine
The National High Blood Pressure Education Program (NHBPEP) was established in 1972 by the National Institute of Health to translate research results on the health hazards of high blood pressure into clinical and public health practice. Before 1900, high blood pressure, or hypertension, was not generally recognized as a health problem.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Public Health
High blood pressure (hypertension) is called the silent killer. This is because many people who have it don’t know it. You can take an easy test to see if your blood pressure is too high. If it is high, you can take steps to lower it. Doing so could save your life.
Source:StayWell
Date:August 14, 2003
Risk factors are things that make you more likely to have a disease or condition. Do you know your risk factors for high blood pressure?
Source:StayWell
Date:August 14, 2003
Hypertension is high blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of arteries.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health
Hypertension is high blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of arteries as it flows through them.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Hypertension is high blood pressure . Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of arteries as it flows through them.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health
Self-care behavior, a key concept in health promotion, refers to decisions and actions that an individual can take to cope with a health problem or to improve his or her health. Examples of self-care behaviors include seeking information (e.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Public Health
Apathy can be defined as an absence or suppression of emotion, feeling, concern or passion. Further, apathy is an indifference to things generally found to be exciting or moving.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders
Uncontrollable movements are slow, twisting, continuous, and involuntary movements of the arms, legs, face, neck, or other parts of the body.
Source:ADAM
Date:March 5, 2007
Movement disorders are a group of diseases and syndromes affecting the ability to produce and control bodily movements. It seems simple and effortless, but normal movement requires an astonishingly complex system of control.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health
A normal breathing rate for an adult at rest is 8 to 16 breaths/minute. For an infant, a normal rate is up to 44 breaths/minute. Tachypnea is a medical term that your doctor would use to describe your breathing if it is too fast, particularly if you have rapid, shallow breathing due to an associated lung disease or other medical cause. In contrast, the term hyperventilation is usually used if you are taking rapid, deep breaths because of anxiety or panic. The terms may be used interchangeably, however.
Source:ADAM
Date:November 13, 2006
When the brain receives conflicting signals, or when there is a problem with blood flow, dizziness or fainting can occur.
Source:StayWell
Date:August 14, 2003
Unconsciousness is when a person is unable to respond to people and other stimuli around him or her. Often, this is called a coma or being in a comatose state. Other changes in awareness can occur without becoming unconscious. Medically, these are called "Altered Mental Status" or "Changed Mental Status." They include sudden confusion, disorientation, or stupor. Unconsciousness and any other SUDDEN change in mental status must be treated as a medical emergency. If someone is awake but less alert than usual, ask a few simple questions -- What is your name? What is the date? How old are you? If the person doesn't know or answers incorrectly, then his or her mental status is diminished.
Source:ADAM
Date:January 16, 2007
Many people with cancer experience memory changes- such as mild forgetfulness, an inability to concentrate on more than one task, or more severe memory loss- after undergoing chemotherapy or radiation treatments. In other cases, as in a person with a brain tumor, the cancer itself may cause memory changes.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer
Memory loss can be partial or total. Most memory loss occurs as part of the normal aging process.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine
Amnesia refers to the loss of memory. Memory loss may result from two-sided (bilateral) damage to parts of Memory loss may result from bilateral damage to the limbic system of the brain responsible for memory storage, processing, and recall.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Weakness is a reduction in the strength of one or more muscles.
Source:ADAM
Date:July 17, 2007
Numbness and tingling are abnormal sensations that can occur anywhere in your body, but are often felt in your hands, feet, arms, or legs.
Source:ADAM
Date:May 22, 2007
Numbness and tingling are decreased or abnormal sensations caused by altered sensory nerve function. The feeling of having a foot " fall asleep " is a familiar one.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Paralysis is defined as complete loss of strength in an affected limb or muscle group. The chain of nerve cells that runs from the brain through the spinal cord out to the muscle is called the motor pathway.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Paralysis is defined as complete loss of strength in an affected limb or muscle group. The chain of nerve cells that runs from the brain through the spinal cord out to the muscle is called the motor pathway.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health
Gait and balance problems exist when a disease process, trauma, or aging result in the inability to control one ' s center of gravity (COG) over the base of support (BOS) in static or dynamic tasks and environments. Any number of factors may contribute to gait and balance problems.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health
Have you ever sat on a stopped train and watched a moving train go by? When that happens, your eyes signal that you're moving. But your inner ear and body signal that you're still.
Source:StayWell
Date:February 5, 2004
Falls or accidents can lead to pain, broken bones, and fear of future falls. Protect yourself and others by preparing for episodes. Simple steps can help increase your safety at home and wherever you go.
Source:StayWell
Date:February 5, 2004
Speech impairment may be any of several speech problems, particularly the following: Dysarthria is difficult, poorly articulated speech, such as slurring. Aphasia is impaired expression or comprehension of written or spoken language. Dysarthria is occasionally confused with aphasia. It is important to distinguish between a difficulty in articulation of words versus a problem with the production of language, as these have different causes.
Source:ADAM
Date:September 7, 2006
Dysarthria is a speech diagnostic term that can be used to classify various types of neuromuscular speech disturbances. Dysarthria results from notable degrees of one or more abnormalities involving speech musculature, including weakness, paralysis, incoordination, sensory deprivation, exaggerated reflex patterns, uncontrollable movement activities, and excess or reduced tone.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Neurological Disorders
What Is Dysarthria?Dysarthriais a speech problem caused by a lack of control over muscles in the face and mouth.
Source:StayWell
Date:August 14, 2003
Dysarthria is a group of speech impairments due to weakness, incoordination, spasticity, rigidity, or irregular movements caused by damage to the nervous system. Speech abilities depend on the coordinated function of muscles of respiration, phonation (larynx), and articulation.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health
Treating DysarthriaDysarthria occurs when the part of the brain that controls speech production is damaged. When this happens, the muscles needed to make certain sounds can’t be used fully.
Source:StayWell
Date:August 14, 2003
Speech disorders include several speech-related problems that result in impaired or ineffective oral communication. Also see speech impairment .
Source:ADAM
Date:February 19, 2007
According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), a language disorder is an impairment in comprehension use of the spoken, written, or other symbol system. Speech disorders affect the language and mechanics, the content of speech, or the function of language in communication.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Speech disorders are characterized by a difficulty in producing normal speech patterns. Children go through many stages of speech production while they are learning to communicate.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health
Treatment for the improvement or cure of communication disorders, including both speech problems and language disorders. Formerly referred to as speech therapy, the techniques, strategies, and interventions designed to improve or correct communication disorders are known as speech-language pathology.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Childhood and Adolescence
Speech-language pathology is th