Just because something is called "mini" doesn't mean it's not big.A mini-stroke - or transient ischemic attack, TIA for short - is often a sign for a devastating stroke to follow. So take it seriously.
I posted a similar item last week, but it's worth repeating - quick, aggressive treatment for TIAs could slash major stroke risk by 50 percent:
According to the researchers, sending a person to the hospital after a “mini-stroke,” even if the muscle weakness or slurring of speech lasted a mere few seconds, could reduce the risk of major strokes by as much as 50 percent. TIAs, after all, are oftentimes a sign that a more serious, possibly fatal stroke may be coming in days, or even a few hours.
“The study showed that the widespread, systematic implementation of specialized TIA units across multiple sites, countries, and continents can make a difference in the care of these patients,” said University of Miami researchers Ralph Sacco and Tatjana Rundek in an editorial accompanying the study. The study was published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The researchers based their findings on data from 4,789 patients, as compiled on the international registry TIAregistry.org, which includes follow-up data for as long as five years. And while the study does not include a comparison group, University of Kentucky dean of public health Dr. Donna Arnett, who wasn’t involved in the study, said that it “helps build the evidence base for the importance of getting in for early treatment.”
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