News - Hypertension Week of May 18, 2003/ Vol. 2 No. 20

Study: Public Should Be Better Informed on Risks of Mini-Strokes

People should be better educated about the symptoms and risks of mini-strokes, which are also known as transient ischemic attacks (TIA), according to a study reported in the May 13 issue of Neurology.

TIAs generally share the same symptoms as regular strokes. However, TIA symptoms resolve themselves within 24 hours, which explains why many people just ignore them.

The researchers found that only nine percent of the 10,112 study participants could describe a TIA or identify a symptom and that 3.2 percent had TIA symptoms but never saw a physician about them. Among those with a TIA diagnosis, 16 percent saw the doctor more than a week after the symptoms occurred.

"People think that because these symptoms go away quickly, they don't need to worry about them, but that's definitely not the case," said study author and neurologist Dr. S. Claiborne Johnston of the University of California at San Francisco. "People who've had a TIA are at high risk of having a stroke, particularly in the first few days after the TIA, and doctors can help them reduce that risk."

Johnston said people should call 9-1-1 immediately for any stroke symptoms, even those that disappear. "Only a doctor can tell for sure whether you're having a stroke or a TIA," he said. "And if you're having a stroke, emergency medical treatment could save your life and greatly improve your chances for successful rehabilitation and recovery."

The most common stroke or TIA symptoms are:

• 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 or loss of balance or coordination;
  
• Sudden severe headache with no known cause.

Other sources: American Academy of Neurology