Skip to main content

Military Health System

Test of Sitewide Banner

This is a test of the sitewide banner capability. In the case of an emergency, site visitors would be able to visit the news page for addition information.

Signs and symptoms of a stroke, and what to do about them

Image of Infographic about the sign of a stroke. If you see the signs in yourself or someone else, please call 9-1-1 so they can get the proper treatment. You could save a life in doing so (Photo by: Rebecca Westfall, U.S. Army Medical Command).

The most important factor to keep in mind during a stroke is not wasting time, say neurological specialists. “Time is brain,” is the common medical adage, because every second counts to get the best possible outcome.

According to Army Lt. Col. (Dr.) Michael Crimmins, chief of interventional neuroradiology and stroke medical director at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, humans lose about 1 million brain cells per minute during a stroke. He recommends getting to a hospital right away, preferably by ambulance, “because they can bypass triage and get you immediate medical attention.”

A stroke can cause lasting brain damage, long-term disability, or even death, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Crimmins explained strokes are the No. 1 leading cause of preventable disability in the United States and among the top 10 causes of death for men and women in the country.

They can occur from two scenarios:

“There are ischemic strokes, where a blood clot stops the blood from flowing into the blood vessels of the brain,” said Crimmins. “And there are hemorrhagic – or bleeding – strokes, where a blood vessel tears or ruptures, causing bleeding into the brain.”

In both cases, the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the brain is interrupted.

“When you lack blood flow to the brain for long enough, the neurons – the brain cells – start to die,” said Crimmins. “The brain and the neurons control our ability to use our bodies, so once they die it’s very difficult to recover that function, especially as we get older.”

These include functions like movement, breathing, and digestion; memory storage; and thoughts, emotions, and language, according to the CDC.

Ischemic strokes, noted Crimmins, are what most people think about when they think about stroke. Those can be caused by a variety of factors.

“The most common cause is frequently due to an embolism, a clot that forms in the heart, which the heart then pumps into the brain,” he said. “Other people have carotid artery disease and others have narrowing, or atherosclerosis, of the blood vessels of the brain itself, so any one of those can stop blood from flowing into the brain.”

And while there are risk factors that elevate the potential for suffering a stroke, having one often happens out of the blue, with patients not realizing they’re having a stroke “until they do,” he said.

“In that case, the onset of symptoms is very quick – they go from having no symptoms one minute to having an inability to speak or move a part of their body the next.”

Risk factors can be genetic and include hypertension, diabetes, elevated cholesterol, smoking, and the use of illegal drugs, such as cocaine. But, according to Crimmins, they’re treatable.

“Sometimes, we can work on those with medication, by adjusting the patient’s diet, or helping them make other lifestyle changes to reduce inflammation,” he said. “If you have concerns over some other risk factors, it would be smart to try and maximize your health, like getting these medical conditions under control to prevent strokes and the potential for dementia down the road.”

At a military medical treatment facility, neurologists like Crimmins conduct a series of tests to identify the type of stroke a patient is having before treating it.

“We can potentially give clot-busting medication or even do a surgical removal of a clot by accessing the artery in the leg and going up to do an extraction,” he said.

The medication works by dissolving the clot and improving the blood flow to the part of the brain being deprived of blood and oxygen, noted Crimmins.

“For severe strokes, surgical intervention has been found to be the most helpful way to treat somebody with a severe stroke,” he said.

Either way, the most important takeaway is getting immediate attention. “We know that the longer you wait the less likely you are to have a good outcome after a stroke,” said Crimmins.

Below are some important facts about strokes:

  1. Don’t waste time – act F.A.S.T. to get medical attention as soon as you notice symptoms of a stroke.
  2. Men and women present the same symptoms of strokes.
  3. Depending on which blood vessel is closed off, symptoms can include any change in typical brain function: Slurred speech or a change in speech, such as a “word salad” in which words don’t seem like they go together and are not what a person means; weakness on the arm, face, or leg; double or blurry vision; severe vertigo or dizziness, severe headache.
  4. It’s possible to have a stroke and not even know it: Strokes can be asymptomatic, or silent, and are only discovered as scar tissue on the brain once people see their doctor for what they think are memory problems or headaches.
  5. Untreated strokes can lead to dementia due to a chronic loss in mental faculties.
  6. You can help reduce your risk of stroke by maintaining healthy living habits and controlling certain medical conditions.
  7. Once you have a stroke, you’re at higher risk of having another stroke soon.
  8. Strokes occur more frequently in the people between the ages of 60-80. However, there are a fair number of younger people who have strokes, including service members, due to irregular heart rhythm or a tear in the blood vessels, called a dissection.

You also may be interested in...

Transformed U.S. Army Pharmacy Readiness Training Course Enhances Force Sustainment for Future Combat Operations

Article Around MHS
5/31/2023
U.S. Army Capt Lauren Kaminski of Evans Army Community Hospital, Fort Carson and U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Rosalinda Bermea-Arriaga from Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, log controlled substance medications in the pharmacy at the training field hospital at Camp Bullis, Texas. Proper management of controlled substances is vital to the safety, security, and legal compliance of our forces. (Courtesy photo)

U.S. Army pharmacists and pharmacy specialists from across the country traveled to Camp Bullis, Texas, this week to participate in a 40-hour deployment readiness course hosted by the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence. The course is designed to prepare personnel to provide efficient pharmaceutical in an austere, multi-domain, large-scale operating environment.

Dizziness and Visual Problems After Concussion

Infographic
5/22/2023
Graphic containing general information on dizziness and vision  problems after a traumatic brain injury. Visit health.mil/TBIFactSheets and download related fact sheets for information.

More than 80% of all concussions—also known as mild traumatic brain injury—in the military are considered mild. Dizziness and visual problems are among the most common symptoms after concussion and often resolve within days or weeks

Changes in Behavior, Personality or Mood Following Concussion/mTBI Fact Sheet

Fact Sheet
5/22/2023

This TBICoE fact sheet can be used by health care providers to educate patients with a concussion, or mild TBI, on how to manage changes in mood related to their injury. Patients and caregivers would also find this information useful.

Application of Acute Concussion Care Pathway: MACE 2 & PRA Training

Calendar Event
5/16/2023

The Traumatic Brain Injury Center of Excellence is hosting a combined Military Acute Concussion Evaluation 2 and Progressive Return to Activity clinical recommendation virtual training. Attendees may earn two CEUs through the Defense Health Agency Continuing Education Program Office.

Medical Exercise Certifies Mission Ready Casualty Receiving Treatment Ship

Article Around MHS
5/16/2023
U.S. Navy sailors from Fleet Surgical Team 6 treat a simulated patient aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan in the operating room during a medical mass casualty drill. Sailors from USS Bataan and Fleet Surgical team 6 participated in an all-day medical training evolution to increase operational readiness. (Photo by U.S. Navy Mass Comm.  Spc. Seaman Apprentice Levi Decker)

Sailors from Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Portsmouth enhanced a casualty receiving treatment and amphibious assault ship USS Bataan and conducted a three-day certification exercise as part of a continued commitment to mission readiness, March 21.

Acute Concussion Care Pathway: MACE 2 and PRA Training

Publication
5/12/2023

The Traumatic Brain Injury Center of Excellence is hosting a combined Military Acute Concussion Evaluation 2 and Progressive Return to Activity clinical recommendation virtual training.

TBICoE Spotlight: Lisa Moy Martin

Video
5/11/2023
TBICoE Spotlight: Lisa Moy Martin

In this edition of TBICoE Connect Employee Spotlight, we dive into Lisa Moy Martin's inspiring journey in TBI research, her dedication to the mission and the unique opportunities that helped shape her decades long career.

Vestibular Assessment and Rehab Course Focuses on Dizziness from TBI

Article
5/5/2023
Vestibular Assessment and Rehab Course Focuses on Dizziness from TBI

Hearing Center of Excellence offers training for dizziness related to concussion.

Local Health Care Partners are Critical to Blanchfield’s Medical Mission

Article Around MHS
5/3/2023
U.S. Army Col. Vincent B. Myers, commander of Blanchfield Army Community Hospital talks with TRICARE network providers from the local community about the hospital's medical mission during a network partner event on Fort Campbell, Kentucky, on April 13. Regional TRICARE contractors provide health care services and support beyond what's available at military hospitals and clinics for eligible beneficiaries. (Photo by Fred Holly, Blanchfield Army Community Hospital)

Army Medicine, Defense Health Agency, and TRICARE East region contractor Humana Military representatives welcomed local TRICARE network health care providers to the Sabalauski Air Assault School on Fort Campbell, Kentucky, on April 13.

Ultimate Caduceus 2023 Tests Defense Health Agency Readiness in Emergencies

Article
4/27/2023
Ultimate Caduceus 2023 Tests Defense Health Agency Readiness in Emergencies

For the first time, medical representatives from the Defense Health Agency participated in a combatant command movement exercise, the Ultimate Caduceus 2023 held in March. The objective was to test the Department of Defense’s aeromedical evacuation and critical care transport capabilities.

86th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron Makes History

Article Around MHS
4/20/2023
U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Brendon Bowman, 86th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron flight examiner and emergency medical paramedic, unloads medical equipment from a C-21 Learjet at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.  (Photo by U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Jordan Lazaro)

The 86th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron embarks on the U.S. Air Force’s first-ever AE paramedic-led flight in charge of an all-enlisted medical crew.

Project 112 SHAD

FAQs
4/19/2023

Questions and answers about Project 112 SHAD

Human Subject Research at Fort Detrick

FAQs
4/19/2023

Questions and answers about Human Subject Research at Ft. Detrick

Cognitive Rehabilitation Therapy

FAQs
4/19/2023

The complexity of the brain and brain injuries has led to questions about the nature of cognitive rehabilitation therapy and its availability to service members who have sustained TBIs.

Concussion Protocols Aid Diagnosis, Treatment, and Recovery

Article
4/17/2023
Concussion Protocols Aid Diagnosis, Treatment, and Recovery

Whether on the sport field or the battlefield, the Defense Health Agency is the global leader in research on the effects of concussion—known as mild traumatic brain injury—in the military. Its research has fueled the development of protocols to help providers assess and treat concussion from initial injury to acute and post-acute medical settings, rehabilitation, and, ultimately, a return to family, community, work, continued duty, or recreation.

Page 1 of 54 , showing items 1 - 15
First < 1 2 3 4 5  ... > Last 
Refine your search
Last Updated: January 17, 2023
Follow us on Instagram Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on YouTube Sign up on GovDelivery