The Christie Charity
Many of our patients first present either to their GP or to their local A&E department with symptoms sometimes thought to be a stroke, e.g. weakness of their face, arm or leg, collapse or difficulties with their speech.
Symptoms vary greatly between different people depending on which part of the brain affected. Some patients are brought to A&E after a fit (seizure), or patients may come to hospital or be referred by their GP or optician due to headaches, confusion or visual disturbance.
In all cases, a scan of the brain is arranged. Most people will have a CT scan (computerised tomography) scan first, but an MR scan of the brain (a magnetic resonance scan which shows more detailed images) is also usually required to confirm the diagnosis.