Signs of Stroke
CALL 911 AT ANY SIGN OF STROKE
| F | Face—Does the Face look uneven? Ask the person to smile. |
| A | Arms—Does one arm drift down? Ask the person to raise both arms. |
| S | Speech—Does their speech sound strange. Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Example: "The sky is blue." |
| T | TIME—TO CALL 911, if you observe ANY of these signs. |
Credit: MA Dept. of Health
TIP—
Go to the hospital in an ambulance! Save time. Be seen faster!
Learn the Signs of Stroke—
You could save a life or help prevent a disability.
The five most common stroke symptoms:
- Sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
- Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
- Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
- Sudden severe headache with no known cause
If you experience any of these symptoms, call 911 to get to a hospital immediately. The emergency medical personnel responding to your call will transport you to the nearest designated stroke center. If there is not a designated stroke center nearby, they can stabilize you and transfer you to the appropriate Stroke Center.
Stroke is a medical emergency. Take these symptoms seriously. It could mean saving your life or preserving your quality of life. There are treatments that can help reverse the signs of the majority of strokes, but they must be given quickly, so you need to act quickly.
Less common stroke symptoms:
- Sudden nausea, fever and vomiting distinguished from a viral illness by the speed of onset (minutes or hours vs. several days)
- Brief loss of consciousness or period of decreased consciousness (fainting, confusion, convulsions or coma)
