What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Carotid Artery
Disease?
Carotid artery disease may not cause signs or
symptoms until it severely narrows or blocks the carotid arteries. Signs and
symptoms may include a bruit (broo-E), a transient ischemic attack (TIA), or a
stroke.
Bruit
During a physical exam, your doctor may listen to
your carotid arteries with a stethoscope. He or she may hear a whooshing sound
called a bruit. This sound may suggest changed or reduced blood flow due to
plaque. To find out more, your doctor may order tests.
Not all people who have carotid artery disease have
bruits.
Transient Ischemic Attack
For some people, having a TIA, or
“mini-stroke,” is the first sign of carotid artery disease. During
a mini-stroke, you may have some or all of the symptoms of a stroke. However,
the symptoms usually go away on their own within 24 hours.
The symptoms may include:
- Sudden weakness or numbness in the face or limbs,
often on just one side of the body
- The inability to move one or more of your limbs
- Trouble speaking and understanding
- Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
- Dizziness or loss of balance
- A sudden, severe headache with no known cause
Even if the symptoms stop quickly, you should see a
doctor right away. Call 911 (dont drive yourself
to the hospital). Its important to get checked and to get treatment
started within 1 hour of having symptoms.
A mini-stroke is a warning sign that you’re at
high risk of having a stroke. You shouldn’t ignore these symptoms. About
one-third of people who have mini-strokes will have strokes if they don’t
get treatment.
Although a mini-stroke may warn of a stroke, it
doesn’t predict when a stroke will happen. A stroke may occur days,
weeks, or even months after a mini-stroke. In about half of the cases of
strokes that follow a TIA, the stroke occurs within 1 year.
Stroke
Most people who have carotid artery disease
don’t have mini-strokes before they have strokes. The symptoms of stroke
are the same as those of mini-stroke, but the results are not. A stroke can
cause lasting brain damage, long-term disability, paralysis (an inability to
move), or even death.
Getting treatment for a stroke right away is very
important. You have the best chance for full recovery if treatment to open a
blocked artery is given within 6 hours of symptom onset. Ideally, treatment
should be given within 3 hours of symptom onset.
Call 911 as soon as symptoms occur
(dont drive yourself to the hospital). Its very important to get
checked and to get treatment started within 1 hour of having symptoms.
Make those close to you aware of stroke symptoms and
the need for urgent action. Learning the signs and symptoms of a stroke will
allow you to help yourself or someone close to you lower the risk for damage or
death from a stroke. |