‘Whispering’ Strokes Are Common
Whispering Strokes Are Subtle, Often Overlooked, and Risky, Report Shows
By Miranda Hitti
WebMD Medical NewsReviewed by Louise Chang, MDAug. 2, 2007 — Researchers have coined a new term, “whispering stroke,” for strokes with subtle symptoms that doctors and patients may overlook.
But whispering strokes shouldn’t get hushed. A new study shows that whispering strokes can dim patients’ physical and mental functioning and cut their quality of life.
“People need to take these symptoms more seriously and see a doctor about them,” says researcher George Howard, DrPH, in an American Heart Association news release.
Howard works for the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s School of Public Health. His study appears in today’s early online edition of the journal Stroke.
Learn Stroke Symptoms
Before you read about Howard’s study, review this list of stroke symptoms:
Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg (especially on one side of the body)
Sudden confusion, trouble speaking, or understanding speech
Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, or loss of balance or coordination
Sudden, severe headache with no known cause
Seek emergency care immediately if you or someone you know experiences those symptoms, even to a mild degree.
Those symptoms don’t always indicate stroke, but the stakes are too high to see if the symptoms pass. Stroke is the No. 2 cause of death for U.S. adults. It’s also a leading cause of disability.
Strokes happen when the blood flow to the brain is interrupted. Most strokes are ischemic strokes, which are caused by blood clots. Clot-busting stroke drugs must be given shortly after the onset of stroke symptoms.
Other strokes are bleeding (hemorrhagic) strokes, which happen when a blood vessel in the brain starts to leak. Transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), often called ministrokes, are fleeting but can still cause irreversible damage.
whispering strokes
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