The Dangers of a "Mini" Stroke: 4 Facts About TIAs

Every 40 seconds, someone in the United States has a stroke, which is a major, and sometimes deadly, form of cardiovascular disease.. This eye-opening number includes about half a million transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), which are also known as mini strokes.

Since May is National Stroke Awareness Month, board-certified neurologist Dr. Paul Gill and our team at Gill Neuroscience thought it would be a good time to share some information about TIAs. 

Here, we dive into a few key facts that everyone should know about strokes and TIAs.

TIAs are not mini strokes — they’re strokes

The term “mini” is one we wished didn’t exist, because it’s misleading. TIAs are strokes. The term “transient” is what differentiates strokes from TIAs, because TIAs represent temporary blockages of blood flow to your brain.

With an ischemic stroke, the blood flow to your brain becomes blocked, and brain cells can start to die off due to lack of oxygen, often leading to permanent damage or death. These events don’t stop until you get treatment.

With a TIA, there’s a temporary blockage, such as a clot that blocks the artery that delivers blood to your brain. This blockage can last just a few minutes or many hours, and it resolves on its own.

Whatever the duration, a TIA is a stroke, and it’s better to think of this event as a warning stroke than a mini stroke.

TIAs share many of the same symptoms as strokes

The symptoms of a TIA are often the same as a stroke and can include:

• Paralysis, numbness, or weakness on one side of your body
• Dizziness
• Vision issues in one or both eyes
• Slurred speech
• Nausea and vomiting
• Problems with comprehension
• Severe head pain

With TIAs, these symptoms may come on suddenly, and they can last for a few minutes or up to 24 hours, depending on the extent of the attack.

TIAs can set the stage for strokes

We mentioned that you should consider a TIA as a warning stroke for two reasons: 

First, in 2 out of 5 cases, subsequent scans show that a TIA was, in reality, a stroke. Second, 1 out of 5 people who have a TIA go on to have a stroke within 90 days, and half of this number is within 48 hours. 

Putting numbers aside for a moment, a TIA is a clear warning flag that you might have issues  in your cardiovascular system that can compromise blood flow to your brain. And these issues won’t go away on their own. 

TIAs benefit from prompt treatment 

Given what you’ve learned so far, you can see why it’s so important to never ignore a TIA. In fact, we want you to seek help as soon as you can, which includes calling 911. 

Even if your symptoms fade quickly and you rebound without any lingering side effects, it’s still crucial that you follow up with an assessment, which we can do here.

To prevent future strokes, early intervention after a TIA is key. We’re able to minimize your risk of another blockage that prevents the flow of oxygen to your brain. 

Whether through medication or a procedure, our priority is to heed the warning stroke and take quick action to prevent a bigger one from occurring.

If you have more questions about TIAs or you’d like a stroke assessment, please call our Houston, Texas, office at 832-912-7777, or use our online form to request a consultation.