Minor strokes
Minor strokes
Blood clots on the brain cause a stroke
Minor strokes can cause temporary weakness or numbness in an arm or leg, or may be warning signs preceding a major stroke.
However, the effects of a stroke can range from the minor - some numbness or tingling - to the severe - where the patient may suffer slurring or loss of speech, difficulty swallowing, the mouth may droop, and there may be dribbling, headache, dizziness and confusion.
A stroke occurs when part of the brain is suddenly damaged or destroyed, and can be caused by a blood clot forming in a damaged vessel - cutting off the flow of blood to part of the brain - or a damaged vessel in the brain bursting.
General Pinochet suffered a minor stroke
“Someone who has had a stroke is undoubtedly unwell, and the length of recovery will depend on the severity of the stroke,” a spokeswoman for the Stroke Association’s advisory service said.
“But the effects of a stroke on an individual will depend entirely on where the stroke happens in the brain.
“For some people, their face will be paralysed, in others their speech will slur - again, it depends on where it happens and it’s down to the doctor’s clinical judgement to decide where the stroke occurred.”
Fast recovery
She said some people can suffer minor strokes and recover within days while for others it can be the precursor for something more serious.
“Transient ischemic attacks (TIA) - sometimes known as mini strokes - are exactly what they say - transient. They last about 24 hours and cause no lasting damage,” she said.
TIAs occur when a blood clot clogs an artery for a short time, and the signs are similar to those of a stroke, but usually last for just a few minutes.
Some people suffer a series of strokes and this can have a cumulative debilitating effect as repeated clots damage and bruise brain tissue.