Simple test can detect a stroke

Manila Bulletin

Neuss, Germany (dpa) -- If a person suddenly loses balance and falls they might have suffered a stroke.

There is a simple test to indicate if this is the case. ''Ask the person to smile, raise their arms or say a short sentence,'' says German neurologist Curt Beil.

If the person has problems completing one of those tasks then they must immediately see a doctor.

''Patients taken to a hospital within three hours and treated in a stroke unit have a much better chance of surviving and being rehabilitated,'' says the neurologist from Cologne.

Another stoke indicator is if the tongue lolls from side to side.

Half of the hundreds of thousands of patients who suffer a stroke annually are over the age of 75 but young people, and even children, can also be affected.

A stroke happens when the blood supply to the brain is suddenly curtailed.

The cause can be a blocked artery supplying the brain or a haemorrhage through a damaged blood vessel.

''A first sign that a stroke is about to happen is sudden weakness on one side of the body,'' explains Beil.

Temporary speech problems, numbness on one side of the body or a sight problem are all warning signals that have to be taken seriously.