Stroke or migraine? Serene Branson’s case makes people wonder

The video of reporter Serene Branson suddenly speaking incomprehensibly as she tried to report on the Grammy Awards brought out a fascinating – in in the digital age, typical – response. The first reaction on the part of many people was to think it was very funny. How often does one see a well-coiffed reporter saying what sounds like: “A very, very heavy birtation tonight, a very derri-derrison.”

But the public response quickly changed from laughter to deep concern. And then, the concern lightened a bit, as new information came in. Comments on these videos followed the public’s reaction. In response to one Youtube “remix” of her garbled speech, viewers wrote in this order:

“Hilarious!”

“Oh man she had a stroke…not funny.”

“She didn’t have a stroke, just a migraine.”

And in fact, the medical diagnosis turned out to be a “complex migraine,” and not a stroke.

All of this probably left many people wondering: How would I know if it’s a stroke or a complex migraine? This is a very important question, because stroke is a huge health problem in the United States: it’s the third leading cause of death and the primary cause of disability among adults. Medical treament of stroke is getting better and better, but all the experts agree that speedy treatment for stroke is extremely important.

A helpful review recently appeared in The Journal of Family Practice called “Is It Stroke, or Something Else?” Drs. Konrad Nau, Todd Corcco, Johanna Biola, and Hollyn Larrabee note that rapid response is crucial in cases of stroke, but it is complicated when people have conditions that mimic stroke.

One of these is complex migraine, which Serene Branson apparently suffered. Complex migraine can mimic stroke symptoms, including hemiparesis (weakness on one side of the body), vision loss, and aphasia (language problems). It’s the latter that was so obvious with reporter Branson. Usually a migraine comes on more slowly than a stroke and there is often a migraine “aura” that occurs prior to the episode. Age is also a factor: The average age for stroke is around 70, whereas complex migraines usually develop before age 40.

An easy-to-read article on the differences between stroke and complex migraine can be found here.

So what should we do? Fortunately, the answer is an easy one: All the experts say that if you have any of these symptoms (weakness on one side of the body, sudden trouble speaking, vision loss), seek medical attention immediately. This is one case where we can’t try to figure it out ourselves – get to your doctor or emergency room right away.