SMART THINKING
Attention issues, memory loss, headaches, balance problems and fatigue may be the result of a silent stroke.
Memory loss, headaches and balance problems can be signs of a silent stroke.
Most people are aware of the classic symptoms of a stroke, such as slurred speech and loss of movement in the face or body. But silent strokes don’t show symptoms like these. In fact, silent strokes usually display no obvious symptoms at all.
Like other types of strokes, silent strokes happen when blood supply to a part of the brain is suddenly cut off, depriving it of oxygen and damaging brain cells. But the difference between the two types of stroke is the part of the brain that’s affected. In the case of silent strokes, the blood supply is cut off to a part of the brain that doesn’t control any visual functions, such as speaking or moving, so you may not even be aware that a stroke has occurred.
Silent strokes are much more common than strokes that cause classic symptoms, but many people only learn they have had one when they have an MRI or CT scan for another condition and doctors notice that small areas of the brain have been damaged.
Causes of silent stroke include blood clots, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, narrowed arteries and diabetes. Although symptoms may not be obvious, researchers have found some early warning signs of silent strokes among people at risk. Published in the journal, Neurobiology of Aging, researchers found that adults who notice that they frequently lose their train of thought or often become sidetracked may in fact be displaying earlier symptoms of silent stroke.
The study found that people with damage to the brain’s white matter, caused by silent strokes, reported poor attentiveness and being distracted more frequently on day-to-day tasks despite scoring within the normal range of lab assessments of attention and executive function. Other symptoms may include headaches, memory problems, balance problems and extreme fatigue. “Results indicate that in many cases of people who were at a higher risk of silent stroke and had one, they saw a notable difference in their ability to stay focused, even before symptoms became detectable through a neuropsychological test,” says lead author Ayan Dey. Silent strokes are connected to the development of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, which is why the right diagnosis is important.