ABSTRACT
When faced with a patient presenting with a suspected stroke there are seven key questions you must address:
1. Is this a stroke? (Diagnosis) 2. What kind of stroke? (Classification) 3. What was the cause of the stroke? (Aetiology) 4. What problems has it caused? (Assessment) 5. What care is needed? (Management) 6. What can be done to prevent a further vascular
event? (Prevention) 7. What advice should be given? (Advice)
IS THIS A STROKE? (DIAGNOSIS) Characteristics
Stroke is a clinical diagnosis characterised by an acute, focal neurological deficit of vascular origin (Box 1). This definition is not quite allencompassing since (a) stroke can occasionally cause a global loss of consciousness and (b) a rarer cause of stroke (subarachnoid haemorrhage) can present only with neck pain rather than focal neurological symptoms.1
