Transient Ischemic Attack

• Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) is a temporary cerebrovascular event that leaves no permanent damage
• TIA occurs when an artery to the brain is temporarily blocked, causing stroke-like symptoms, but the blockage dislodges before any permanent damage occurs
• Symptoms of a TIA may be similar to a stroke but resolve quickly
• Symptoms of a TIA can be vague and fleeting, often lasting just a few minutes
• Symptoms of a TIA include:

  • Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
  • Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
  • Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
  • Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
  • Sudden, severe headache with no known cause
• There is no treatment for TIA itself
• It is essential to identify and treat the source of the TIA before another attack occurs
• Seek emergency medical help and notify your primary care physician immediately
• About 30% of people who suffer a major stroke experience a prior TIA
• 10% of all TIA victims suffer a stroke within two weeks
• The quicker you seek medical attention, the sooner a diagnosis can be made and a course of treatment started
• Early intervention is essential to effectively preventing a stroke
• Risk factors that can be modified include high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, cigarette smoking, lack of exercise, excessive alcohol intake, and being overweight.
• The risk factors associated with TIA are similar to those of stroke, including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, smoking, atrial fibrillation, obesity, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, and family history.
• Treatment options include aspirin, clopidogrel, statins, anticoagulants (warfarin), antiplatelet agents (ticlopidine or prasugrel), and carotid endarterectomy.
• MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS Smoking: risk may be increased further with the use of some forms of oral contraceptives and are a smoker and there is recent evidence that long-term secondhand smoke exposure may increase the risk of str
• MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS

  Smoking: risk may be increased further with the use of some forms of oral contraceptives and are a smoker and there is recent evidence that long-term secondhand smoke exposure may increase the risk of stroke
• Hypercholesterolemia: elevated serum total cholesterol level >200 mg/dL; LDL cholesterol level >130 mg/dL; HDL cholesterol level <45 mg/dL in men and <55 mg/dL in women; triglyceride level >169 mg/dL
• Alcohol Consumption: heavy drinking increases the risk of hemorrhage and ischaemic stroke
• MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS

  High blood pressure: Blood pressure of 140/90 mmHg or higher is the most important risk factor for stroke. Controlling blood pressure is crucial to stroke prevention.
• MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS

  Carotid or other artery disease: The carotid arteries in the neck supply blood to the brain. A carotid artery narrowed by fatty deposits from atherosclerosis (plaque buildups in artery walls) may become blocked by a blood clot
• MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS

  History of transient ischemic attacks (TIAs)
• MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS

  Diabetes: It is crucial to control blood sugar levels; when untreated, puts one at greater risk of stroke and has many other serious health implicat
• MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS

  High blood cholesterol: A high level of total cholesterol in the blood (240 mg/dL or higher) is a major risk factor for heart disease, which raises the risk of stroke.
• MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS

  Physical inactivity and obesity: Being inactive, obese or both can increase the risk of high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease and stroke
• MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS

  Recent research shows evidence that people receiving hormone replacement therapy (HRT) have an overall 29 percent increased risk of stroke, in particular ischemic stroke (for menopausal women)
• NON-MODIFIABLE FACTORS

  Age: People of all ages, including children, have strokes. But the older you are, the greater your risk of stroke.
• NON-MODIFIABLE FACTORS

  Gender: Stroke is more common in men than in women
• NON-MODIFIABLE FACTORS

  Heredity and race: There is a greater risk of stroke if a parent, grandparent, sister or brother has had a stroke. Blacks have a much higher risk of death from a stroke than Caucasians do, partly because they are more prone to having high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity
• NON-MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS

  Prior stroke or heart attack: Those who have had a stroke are at much higher risk of having another one. Those who have had a heart attack are also at higher risk of having a stroke.