What is the prognosis?

Stroke can affect the entire body. A common disability is complete paralysis on one side of the body, called hemiplegia. A related disability is one-sided weakness or hemiparesis.

Stroke can cause difficulties with:

• Thinking
• Awareness
• Attention
• Learning
• Judgment
• Memory

Stroke survivors often have problems understanding or forming speech and may have difficulty controlling their emotions. Many experience depression. Stroke survivors may also have numbness or strange sensations. The pain is often worse in the hands and feet and is made worse by movement and temperature changes, especially cold temperatures.

Unfortunately, recurrent stroke is frequent with 25 percent of victims having another stroke within 5 years.