What Is a Mini-Stroke (TIA)? Symptoms and Treatment (video/podcast)

A stroke is a medical emergency that happens when the blood flow to the brain is blocked, often by a blood clot or cholesterol buildup inside a blood vessel. Unlike a heart attack, which disrupts blood flow to the heart, stroke is a “brain attack” that can cause damage to brain cells.

In a transient ischemic attack (TIA), often called a mini-stroke, blood flow to the brain is temporarily blocked but quickly restored. The clot usually dissolves on its own or is dislodged, and blood flow resumes before any damage occurs.

At least 240,000 individuals experience a TIA each year in the United States. In this video, San Diego Health host Susan Taylor talks with Mary Kalafut, MD, a neurologist at Scripps Clinic and stroke medical director at Scripps, about TIA symptoms, diagnosis and treatment.

The symptoms of a TIA are the same as a conventional stroke, but as the name implies, they are transient and last no more than a few minutes. The American Heart and American Stroke Association use the mnemonic BEFAST to help people remember the warning signs for a TIA and stroke. Here are the symptoms each letter represents:

• Balance: Your balance suddenly becomes impaired.
• Eyes: You have vision loss, double vision or other visual problems.
• Face: One side of your face droops or you are unable to smile.
• Arm: You’re unable to extend or raise one of your arms, or you have weakness or numbness on one side of your body.
• Speech: You speech is slurred or jumbled and you can’t speak properly.
• Time: As soon as you notice any of these symptoms, get medical help immediately.

“With a stroke, we say that time is brain. If your symptoms last longer than five or 10 minutes, it’s imperative that you call 911 and get to the hospital immediately so you can be evaluated,” says Dr. Kalafut. “For transient ischemic attacks, symptoms typically would resolve within 10 minutes. You still need to get medical attention, but it’s not as urgent.”

Diagnosing a mini stroke can be difficult, as the symptoms resolve quickly and a brain scan appears completely normal.

However, a TIA can be a warning sign for a major stroke. About 1 in 3 people who have a TIA eventually have a stroke. That’s why, even if you’re feeling fine, it is very important to make an appointment with your doctor to do the appropriate testing and treatment. Usually, says Dr. Kalafut, that means reducing controllable risk factors for stroke, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.

“Number one, if you’re smoking, you need to stop. If you’re overweight, we need to work on changing your diet and exercise,” she adds. “And then, we usually use a blood thinning medication for prevention.”

If you don’t reduce your risk factors, you’ll have a higher risk of another stroke that may cause actual injury to the brain. Depending on which parts of the brain are affected, a stroke may cause impaired vision, speech, movement or other functions. This damage can be permanent.

The most important way to help prevent a TIA or stroke is to work with your primary care doctor. Together, you can take steps to manage risk factors such as diet, exercise and smoking, along with chronic conditions like diabetes.

“With a TIA, you’ve kind of dodged a bullet. You were given a warning sign that there’s a clot in one of the blood vessels in the brain. Thank goodness it broke up and there was no damage to the brain,” says Dr. Kalafut. “But this is now our chance to ask what you can do differently. You really have this great opportunity to start working on your risk factors and preventing this from happening again.”