Yes. You can have a “silent” stroke, or one you’re completely unaware of or can’t remember.
When we think of strokes, we often think of symptoms like slurred speech, numbness, or loss of movement in the face or body. But silent strokes don’t show symptoms like these. In fact, silent strokes usually display no symptoms at all.
Like ischemic strokes, silent strokes happen when blood supply to a part of your brain is suddenly cut off, depriving your brain of oxygen and damaging brain cells.
But a silent stroke is, by nature, hard to recognize. That’s because a silent stroke disrupts blood supply to a part of your brain that doesn’t control any visible functions like speaking or moving, so you might never know a stroke occurred.
The way most people find out they had a silent stroke is when they have an MRI or CT scan for another condition and doctors notice that small areas of the brain have been damaged.
Just because you don’t know a silent stroke happened doesn’t mean the damage is insignificant.
Silent strokes generally only affect a small area of the brain, but the damage is cumulative. If you’ve had several silent strokes, you may begin noticing neurological symptoms. For example, you might begin to have trouble remembering things, or you might have trouble concentrating.
According to the American Stroke Association, silent strokes also increase your risk for having a symptomatic stroke in the future.
Researchers have known for some time that silent strokes are fairly common. One 2003 studyshowed that a third of people over the age of 70 have had at least one silent stroke.
More recently, researchers have confirmed that having multiple silent strokes puts you at risk for vascular dementia, also known as multi-infarct dementia. Doctors at the Cleveland Clinic say the symptoms of multi-infarct dementia include:
- memory problems
- emotional issues, like laughing or crying at inappropriate times
- changes to your way of walking
- getting lost in places that should be familiar to you
- trouble making decisions
- losing bowel and bladder control
Silent strokes are different from other types of strokes, including ministrokes, ischemic strokes, and hemorrhagic strokes. Here’s a breakdown:
Silent stroke
Causes
- blood clots
- high blood pressure
- narrowed arteries
- high cholesterol
- diabetes
Symptoms
- no noticeable symptoms
Duration
- damage is permanent and effects can be cumulative
Ministroke (TIA)
Causes
- blood clots
- high blood pressure
- narrowed arteries
- high cholesterol
- diabetes
Symptoms
- trouble walking
- blindness in one eye or cuts in your field of vision
- sudden, severe headache
- dizziness
- confusion
Duration
- symptoms last less than 24 hours
- symptoms can lead to bigger strokes in the future
Ischemic stroke
Causes
- blood clots
- high blood pressure
- narrowed arteries
- high cholesterol
- diabetes
Symptoms
- weakness in arms, legs, or face
- speech difficulties
- trouble walking
- blindness in one eye or cuts in your field of vision
- sudden, severe headache
- dizziness
- confusion
Duration
- symptoms last longer than 24 hours
- symptoms may resolve in time or become permanent disabilities
Hemorrhagic stroke
Causes
- bleeding in your brain because of high blood pressure
- drug use
- injury
- aneurysm
Symptoms
- weakness in arms, legs, or face
- speech difficulties
- trouble walking
- blindness in one eye or cuts in your field of vision
- sudden, severe headache
- dizziness
- confusion
Duration
- symptoms last longer than 24 hours
- symptoms may resolve in time or become permanent disabilities
If you have a brain CT scan or anMRI, the image will show white spots or lesions where your brain cells have stopped functioning. That’s how doctors will know you’ve had a silent stroke.
Other signs are so subtle that they’re often mistaken for signs of aging, like:
- balance problems
- frequent falls
- urine leakage
- changes in your mood
- decreased ability to think
There’s no way to reverse permanent damage done to brain cells from the lack of oxygen.
However, in some cases, healthy parts of your brain may take over the functions that used to be performed by the areas that have been damaged. Eventually, if the silent strokes continue, your brain’s ability to compensate will decrease.
According to the
- physical therapists
- speech pathologists
- sociologists
- psychologists
Some doctors prescribe Alzheimer’s medications to people with vascular dementia, but there’s no proof yet that the drugs work for these patients.
There are many small, practical things you can do to help your memory if silent strokes have impaired your cognitive abilities. Try these steps:
- Practice routines for completing certain tasks at certain times of the day.
- Create habits for putting things you need, like medication and keys, in the same spot every day.
- Make to-do lists and instruction lists to help you remember the steps to complicated tasks.
- Use a pill box to help you keep track of medications.
- Set up direct payments of your bills so you don’t have to memorize due dates.
- Play memory games to sharpen your skills.
Yes. It turns out that while it’s hard to spot a silent stroke and even harder to restore areas of the brain affected by them, it’s relatively easy to keep one from happening in the first place.
Here are some preventive things you can start today:
- Get blood pressure under control.
Researchers have found that high blood pressure raises your risk for having a silent stroke. - Exercise. One 2011 study showed that 30 minutes of moderate exercise five days a week may reduce your chances of having a silent stroke by up to 40 percent. If you’re physically active, you’ll also have
fewer stroke complications and better outcomes than if you’re sedentary. - Cut down on salt intake. The American Stroke Association recommends that you cut your sodium intake to lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk for stroke. And it’s not just the salt you sprinkle: Up to 70 percent of your sodium intake is in frozen and prepackaged foods.
- Manage your weight. A body mass index of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered normal.
- Lower your cholesterol levels. To reduce stroke risk, your overall cholesterol level should be lower than 200 mg/dL. Your HDL (good) cholesterol should ideally be 60 mg/dL or higher. Your LDL (bad) cholesterol should be under 100 mg/dL.
- Stamp out your smoking habit. If you’re still smoking, you can cut your stroke risk by quitting. Smoking is associated with an elevated risk for heart disease and stroke.
- Ditch the diet drinks. A
recent study noted that drinking artificially sweetened drinks can raise your risk for both dementia and stroke. - Eat your veggies. Have five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day.
- Keep diabetes in check. Diabetes is a known risk factor of stroke.
A stroke is a dangerous medical event. If you’re experiencing any of the symptoms of a stroke, get immediate medical attention.
If you aren’t having stroke symptoms but you’re at risk for a silent stroke, see your doctor. They can help you develop a plan for reducing your risk factors and preventing a stroke.
A silent stroke has no noticeable symptoms, but it can still do damage to your brain.
Like regular ischemic strokes, silent strokes happen when the blood supply gets cut off to a small area in the brain, damaging the brain cells. Silent strokes have cumulative effects on the brain’s health and your physical and mental abilities.
You can cut your risk for having a stroke by:
- exercising
- eating healthy foods
- managing your weight
- reducing cholesterol levels to be in target range
- limiting salt intake
If you’re concerned about silent strokes, talk to your doctor about changes you could make to prevent them.
