Although one person dies every 3.5 minutes from a stroke, 80 percent of “brain attacks” can be avoided or prevented. A total of 200,000 Americans die from strokes each year. One key in avoiding a stroke is not to ignore a ministroke, which can be a sign of a future more serious stroke.
Symptoms of a ministroke can include not being able to focus with your eyes and headaches, among others. The problem is in a few minutes the symptoms of such a ministroke can disappear. As a result people often ignore the symptoms. Because such a ministroke can often be the sign of a coming future stroke, one that can be fatal, one should never ignore it. Some people experiencing a TIA may even need to use a cane, if one is available, to walk.
Such a ministroke is called a transient ischemic attack (TIA. People often do nothing about it when the symptoms leave. That can be a big mistake. Studies have shown that TIA’s are warning signs of something to come. Statistics show that almost ten percent of people who have a TIA have a major stroke within one week. In addition, 20 percent more will have one within three months. Those statistics can be even higher, if other risk factors are present, such as high blood pressure or old age.
S. Claiborne Johnston, MD, Director of the Stroke Service at the University of California, San Francisco, said on the website, www.aarp.org, that TIA’s are “emergencies,” even if the symptoms go away. Dr. Johnston is also the coauthor of a report in Lancet Neurology, last April that summarized research on strokes.
Symptoms of a ministroke are the same as for a stroke and can include: numbness or weakness in a joint or the face, usually on one side of the body; dizziness; confusion; trouble seeing or speaking; and severe headache. Someone who has such symptoms should call 911 immediately, even if the symptoms go away. Clot-busting drugs for the stroke need to be taken within three hours.
One good thing about TIA’s is that they are not fatal, although the major stroke that may be coming could be. They also do not cause paralysis, impaired memory, speech, or vision loss. Again, if the person getting a TIA later has a major stroke, those symptoms can then occur.
Dr. Bruce Ovbiagele, director of the Olive View-University of California, Los Angeles, Stroke Program, says he considers it a serious matter when he treats someone who has had a TIA. He says by doing so he may help such people prevent getting a full stroke, with the risk of such a condition being fatal, or that causes permanent disability.
The Clinical Neurology Department at Britain’s Oxford University has developed guidelines to help determine which TIA patients are most likely to have a major stroke. Factors which are considered are: age; blood pressure; clinical symptoms, such as weakness or headache; and how long the TIA lasts.
The Oxford scientists would like their guidelines to be the standard in evaluating TIA patients. According to them, the people at the highest risk of getting a full stroke or over 60, have blood pressure of more than 140 over 90, have a speech disturbance or numbness on one side during the TIA, and symptoms that last longer than one hour.
About 85 percent of major strokes and 100 percent of TIA’s can be treated with clot-busting medications, because they are caused by a clot or plaque that blocks the flow of blood to the brain and are called ischemic. The other 15 percent of strokes are caused by a flood of blood to the brain and are called hemorrhagic.
TIA’s often leave no permanent damage, but imaging tests can detect brain changes in about half the people who have had a ministroke. In a major stroke, which can sometimes be fatal, the chances are greater the test will show damage. This is because the brain has been deprived of blood for longer, and brain cells have died.
If you have the symptoms that can along with either a TIA or a major stroke, you should not ignore them; doing so could be fatal. You may save your life by going to a doctor or emergency room.
