Originally posted by shinta:
[b> Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking
3 simple
> questions:
> 1. Ask the individual to smile.
> 2. Ask him or her to raise both arms.
> 3. Ask the person to speak a simple sentence.
> Or ask the person to 'stick' out his/her tongue, if their
tongue
> is NOT 'straight' but goes off to one side that is another
indication
> of a
> stroke.
>
> If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call the
ambulance
> immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.
After
> discovering that a group of non-medical volunteers could
identify
> facial weakness, arm weakness and speech problems,
researchers
> urged the general public to learn the 3 questions.
>
> They presented their conclusions at the American Stroke
Association's
> annual meeting last February. Widespread use of this test
could result
> in prompt diagnosis and treatment of the stroke and prevent
brain
> damage.
my question: hw true is this email?[/b]
It is quite accurate because those three tests mentioned are
part of a battery of tests doctors perform on patients who are
suspected to have suffered from strokes.
However, there are different types of stroke which manifests with
different symptoms so those three are just a rough guideline. For
instance, in Hemorrhagic Stroke cases, usually the victim would
lose consciousness and collapse altogether and you wouldn't be able
to run those three tests at all! 
Tell you the rationale behind those three tests...
If the victim presents with a lop-sided smile, most likely, he/she
is suffering from a stroke because facial muscles can be affected
by strokes. Sometimes, the patient ends up with half of his / her
face 'drooping' because the facial muscles on that side of the face
had been affected.
Inability to raise one or both arms would indicate limb weakness,
another sign of stroke. If one arm is raised higher than the other,
it's also a sign. If the frontal region of the brain is affected by
a stroke, weaknesses or inability to perform certain functions can
be noted because our homunculus is located on the frontal region of
our brain.
The frontal also controls behaviour and logic so any sudden
behavioural changes, disorientation and confusion are also signs of
stroke.
Asking the individual to speak a simple sentence will show if the
person has slurred speech or not, as that is a sign of stroke if
the Broca's or Wiernecke's part of the brain had been
affected.
Bottom line is, when you note any or all of these symptoms, get the
individual to the nearest hospital as fast as you can because
depending on what type of stroke it is, the person can be rescued.
In Ischemic Strokes, for instance, if IV anti-coagulants are
infused timely, the clot can be dissolved and a serious stroke may
be prevented.
