As Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) refer to a temporary circulatory disorder in the brain. It often precedes strokes and is therefore an early warning sign! The TIA is usually caused by small blood clots, which are flushed with the blood stream into the brain, where they impede the blood circulation. Read here which symptoms the transient ischemic attack causes, how long they last and how you should react!
What is a Transient Ischemic Attack?
The Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) is a transient hypoperfusion in the brain. It is considered an early warning sign for a stroke: About every third stroke is preceded by a transient ischemic attack.
By the way: Colloquially, the TIA is often called “mini-stroke”.
How is the TIA created?
The transient ischemic attack is usually triggered by so-called microemboli. These are small blood clots that are carried along with the bloodstream and temporarily block small brain vessels. The clots often come from a “calcified” and thus narrowed carotid artery or vertebral artery (vertebral artery).
Sometimes the tiny clots also come from the heart, such as atrial fibrillation. This is the most common form of cardiac arrhythmia. It easily forms clots in the heart. They can enter the brain with the blood and trigger a transient ischemic attack there.
Transient ischemic attack: symptoms
A transient ischemic attack temporarily causes neurological symptoms. What type they are, depends mainly on the brain region, which is affected by the volatile deficiency circulation. The most important symptoms include:
- sudden, unilateral vision loss (amaurosis fugax)
- Hemisphere hemisphere vision – the visual field is the area of the environment that you can see without moving the eyes or the head
- Seeing double pictures
- Insomnia or incomplete paralysis of one side of the body (hemianesthesia or hemiparesis)
- Senselessness or incomplete paralysis of a limb / limb (monoanesthesia or monoparesis)
- Speech disorder (aphasia), speech disorder (dysarthria)
- Dizziness, ear noises
- powerlessness
If a transient ischemic attack is not treated, it often returns. That means: It tends to recurrences.
Transient ischemic attack: duration
A transient ischemic attack produces the same symptoms as a true stroke, except that it rapidly regresses in TIA. By definition, the symptoms of TIA have disappeared after 24 hours at the latest. In most patients, the transient ischemic attack lasts even less than half an hour.
Transient ischemic attack: what to do?
The Transient ischemic attack is the Harbinger of a threatening stroke, That’s why you should use them be serious! So even if vision problems, numbness or paralysis disappear soon, you should go to the doctor immediately. He will examine you closely to find out the reason for the low perfusion. With appropriate treatment measures can then be a renewed Transient ischemic attack as well as avoid a “true” stroke in the best case!