Silent Cerebral Infarction (SCI) Symptoms

A silent cerebral infarction (SCI) is a disruption in the flow of blood to the brain (stroke) that produces symptoms so brief and mild that the person often does not become concerned or seek medical attention. The SCI is found by chance when the patient is examined by MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), often for an unrelated condition. Although it produces transient and mild symptoms, the American Heart Association reports that the finding of a SCI is a warning that the patient may develop a more serious stroke. According to Sang-Chol Lee in issue 36 of the journal "Hypertension," the risk factors for SCI include increasing age and high blood pressure. Although the risk increases with age, SCI can also occur in children with certain hereditary disorders, such as sickle cell anemia.

Loss of Coordination

• A silent cerebral infarction may produce transient ataxia, which is a brief struggle with muscle coordination. The patient may suddenly have trouble balancing, or begin limping. He may feel clumsy and drop items. The symptoms often disappear as suddenly as they occurred.

Weakness

• A patient suffering a SCI may suddenly feel weak or numb on one side of her body. Her arm or fingers may tingle, or she may have difficulty lifting items with which she did not previously have trouble. These symptoms will last a short time and then disappear.

Speech Problems

• Fleeting difficulty in producing or understanding speech may happen with a silent cerebral infarction. The patient may notice problems generating speech or he may rearrange word sounds (vegetable may become "gevtable"). The more he tries to get out the correct word, the more difficult it becomes, although his normal ability to speak quickly returns.

Vision Disturbances

• Short-lived trouble with vision may occur with SCI. The patient may have trouble seeing in one or both of her eyes. There may be a loss of peripheral vision or blurriness in the entire visual field that resolves rapidly.

Headache

• A sudden, severe headache may be a symptom of SCI. These headaches occur with no known cause and disappear quickly.