What Are the Symptoms of a Stroke?

The onset of stroke can manifest in different ways. In many instances, the affected person may experience sudden weakness and numbness of an arm or a leg on one side of the body, or a side of the face. There may be temporary difficulty in speech, confusion, severe headache, or visual disturbances, and the person may feel dizzy or experience a loss of balance or coordination. These symptoms usually are followed later by more widespread and permanent paralysis. In some cases, the initial onset of stroke produces widespread paralysis, with inability to speak, coma, or death within a short time, usually within several hours or days.