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  |  General Health  |  Diseases and conditions  |  Strokes explained
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Strokes explained

continued from page 7
Diagnosis of stroke
Awareness of stroke warning symptoms is the first step in diagnosis and management. You will most likely be the one to initially diagnose if you are having a stroke. Symptoms vary depending on the area of the brain that is involved, but they are nevertheless relatively easy to identify. Recognising a stroke quickly means you get help sooner.

If you do have a stroke, you should be taken to a hospital. Once there, doctors will first obtain the story of what symptoms are present and how they evolved. Determining if you have any of the risk factors associated with stroke can help your doctor diagnose your likelihood of having one. Then a full neurological examination will be performed after which they will probably do a number of tests that may include:

  • Blood pressure measurement.
  • Blood tests for blood sugar, clotting ability and cholesterol levels.
  • Chest X-ray to check your heart and lungs.
  • An electrocardiogram (ECG) to check your heart rhythm and to rule out heart attack.
  • Echocardiogram, a type of ultrasound scan of the heart.
  • Brain scan, using a variety of imaging devices - the most widely used imaging procedures are the computed tomographic (CT) scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
  • Carotid artery ultrasound scan - this checks the flow of blood within the major blood vessel that supplies the brain.

    If a stroke is caused by haemorrhage, a CT can show evidence of bleeding into the brain almost immediately after stroke symptoms appear. This is important, since strokes caused by a haemorrhage must be treated differently. For instance, one possible new type of acute stroke therapy for ischaemic stroke, thrombolytic therapy, cannot be used until the doctor can confidently diagnose the patient as suffering from an ischaemic stroke. This treatment could make a haemorrhagic stroke worse by increasing bleeding.



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    This iVillage Health service area is designed for educational purposes only. You should not rely on this information as a substitute for personal medical attention, diagnosis or hands-on treatment. If you are concerned about your health or that of a child, please consult your family's health provider immediately and do not wait for a response from our professionals. For the full Disclaimer, click here.
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