Symptoms

Check for signs of a stroke

The main symptoms of a stroke can happen suddenly. They may include:

face weakness - one side of your face may droop (fall) and it might be hard to smile
arm weakness - you may not be able to fully lift both arms and keep them there because of weakness or numbness in 1 arm
speech problems - you may slur your words or sound confused

The easiest way to remember these symptoms is the word FAST. This stands for: face, arms, speech and time to call 999.

Other symptoms of a stroke

There are other signs that you or someone else is having a stroke. These include:

weakness or numbness down 1 side of your body
blurred vision or loss of sight in 1 or both eyes
finding it difficult to speak or think of words
confusion and memory loss
feeling dizzy or falling over
a severe headache
feeling or being sick (nausea or vomiting)

Symptoms of a stroke can sometimes stop after a short time, so you may think you're OK. Even if this happens, get medical help straight away.

A stroke is more likely to happen if you're older, but it can happen at any age.

Find out more

Stroke Association: signs and symptoms

Call 999 now if:

you think you're having, or have had a stroke
you've had signs of a stroke within the last 24 hours even if they've now stopped

Do not drive yourself to A&E.

The person you speak to at 999 will give you advice about what to do.

Sexual Health Advice

Throughout this series we have help and advice on staying healthy, dealing with Sexually Transmitted Infections, the risks of each type of the most popular gay sex and what to do if the sex you have is not consentual. The topics covered in this series include:

	This item was in brought to you association with NHS website. Follow the links above for more information and don't forget to check out OutUK's A to Z of Gay Health which features items on everything from relationships, sexual health, mental and physical conditions and how to stay fit. This week our topic is: L - Lung Cancer.
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