Minor isn't so minor...

What's a "minor" stroke?

Turns out, we might have to redefine that term. Recent research, as reported by heart.org, notes that minor stroke can cause major disability:

"We found that patients with blocked or narrowed blood vessels were at the highest risk of disability," she added. "These patients need to have brain and blood-vessel imaging quickly to decide what interventions are needed to prevent disability."

Their findings build on previous work that has shown that patients with stroke considered "too mild for thrombolysis don't do as well as we might think," Coutts said.

The study was published online September 13, 2012 in Stroke.

Reached for comment on the study, Dr Pooja Khatri (University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center, OH) said: "Dr Coutts and her colleagues have once again demonstrated that so-called mild strokes are not always so mild. Even in this particularly mild cohort, consisting of both TIAs and the mildest strokes, they saw a substantial amount of disability at 90 days.

All the more reason for this blog's constant refrain: Know stroke signs. Act quickly. Be an advocate for someone.