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Common Indicators of Silent Strokes in Women

A silent stroke occurs when a blood clot forms and blocks a blood vessel that supplies an area of the brain that does not affect any vital functions, causing limited damage to its tissues.

Signs of a silent stroke in a woman include unexplained weakness, changes in speech or swallowing, loss of consciousness, difficulty balancing, fatigue, headache, vomiting, or nausea and changes in mental status such as agitation, anger, and anxiety.

Although these symptoms appear in both men and women, women usually ignore these symptoms and consider them part of their daily suffering, and thus fall victim to death from silent stroke at higher rates than men.

What Is a Silent Stroke?

A silent stroke, or asymptomatic cerebral infarction, occurs without showing severe symptoms to the patient, which makes him not pay much attention to it. However, it increases the likelihood of cognitive decline in the future and increases the risk of further strokes later on. Symptoms of a silent stroke include:

Mood changes.
Personality changes.
Difficulty with balance.
Difficulty concentrating.
Inability to control bladder and bowel movements.
Speech problems.
Loss of vision in one eye. (Saini, 2012)

Common Indicators of Silent Strokes in Women

Symptoms and signs of silent stroke in women include:

Physical weakness: The body suffers from unexplained weakness, numbness in the face and limbs.
Severe Headache: Especially sudden headaches.
Mood changes: such as agitation, anger, and anxiety.
Vision changes: such as difficulty seeing in one or both eyes.
Difficulty swallowing and speech changes: The patient finds it difficult to speak in the way she used to or swallow.

Cognitive problems: such as confusion, difficulty remembering, and difficulty concentrating.
Balance problems: such as dizziness, sudden loss of balance, or clumsiness.
Muscle movement: severe weakness in the movement of some muscles or temporary loss of movement in them.
Fainting: temporary, brief loss of consciousness.

How do ambulance crews measure the signs of a silent stroke?

In 1998, a test known as the F.A.S.T. test was developed to enable ambulance crews to quickly assess stroke and measures the most common symptoms.

F.A.S.T. test

F is for face: Drooping of one side of the face indicates a possible stroke.
A is for arms: Difficulty extending your arms indicates a possible stroke.
S is for speech: Slurred speech and misunderstanding of simple sentences is another possible sign of a stroke.
T is for time: If any of the FAS signs are positive, it is time to call emergency medical services. (Cardiovascular Institute of the South, 2024)

Diagnosing a Silent Stroke

If you suffer from signs of a silent stroke in a woman, you should seek medical care and conduct the necessary tests to accurately diagnose the condition, which include:

CT scan.
MRI.

The doctor may request other tests such as an electrocardiogram, an electroencephalogram, or blood tests.

In the event of a silent stroke, white spots will appear on the images and the resulting damage will be evaluated.

Treatment involves taking medications that reduce your risk of having a stroke in the future. It also includes lifestyle changes such as eating a healthy diet, exercising, and not smoking or drinking alcohol.