Transient ischemic attack (TIA), also known as "mini stroke," refers to sudden numbness or weakness due to temporary reduction of blood in certain parts of the brain. More than 240,000 people have transient ischemic attack each year in the United States. Most TIA last less than a couple of hours. However, TIA has significant health implications. People with a history of TIA are at high risk for stroke and need to be treated properly.
Instructions
1. The symptoms of TIA are similar to ischemic stroke and include numbness and weakness of cheek, face, leg, arm, or hand, trouble speaking, and blurred vision. The symptoms of TIA last from few minutes to hours. TIA can occur once in lifetime or several times a day.
2. Call 911 immediately if you suspect that you are having a TIA. Do not drive or ask anybody to drive you to the hospital. Wait for emergency medical team to arrive.
3. To diagnose whether you are having a TIA, your doctor will check your medical history and perform a physical examination. Your doctor may also order MRI imaging or CT scan of your brain to see the extent of the damages. Ultrasound. computed tomography arteriogram (CTA) or magnetic resonance arteriogram (MRA) can be used to check whether your blood vessels are blocked.
4. People with TIA is at high risk for stroke. It is estimated that up to 10% of patients with TIA have stroke within 48 hour of TIA. Patients diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension or having high cholesterol levels are most likely to suffer from stroke following a TIA. To reduce the risk of future stroke, you may want to reduce your blood pressure, quit smoking, use insulin injection to control diabetes, and take statin to lower cholesterol.
5. To prevent formation of new blood clots, you are recommended to have either antiplatelet therapy, anticoagulant therapy or both. The American Heart Association (AHA/ASA) recommends that you take dipyridamole and aspirin if you had a TIA.Aspirin is shown to particularly effective against future stroke and has been shown to reduce the risk of future stroke by 25%.
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