Transient ischemic attack (TIA)

Transient ischemic attack (TIA)
A neurological event with the signs and symptoms of a stroke, but which go away within a short period of time. Also called a mini-stroke, a TIA is due to a temporary lack of adequate blood and oxygen (ischemia) to the brain. This is often caused by the narrowing (or, less often, ulceration) of the carotid arteries (the major arteries in the neck that supply blood to the brain). TIAs typically last 2 to 30 minutes and can produce problems with vision, dizziness, weakness or trouble speaking. If not treated, there is a high risk of having a major stroke in the near future. People who have a TIA have a 25% greater risk of having a stroke or other serious complication within 90 days. In one study of people followed for 3 months after a TIA, about 10% had strokes, half of them in the 2 days after their TIA. This was more than 50 times the stroke rate expected in people of their age. One fifth of the strokes were fatal and nearly two-thirds were disabling. A TIA is a sign of an impending stroke particularly if The TIA occurs in someone over 60 years of age, The TIA is in someone who has diabetes, The TIA lasts more than 10 minutes, There is weakness with the TIA, or The TIA causes difficulty with speech. If you even remotely suspect a TIA, you should seek medical attention right away. An operation to clean out the carotid artery and restore normal blood flow through the artery (a carotid endarterectomy) markedly reduces the incidence of a subsequent stroke. In other cases, when a person has a narrowed carotid artery, but no symptoms, the risk of having a stroke can be reduced with medications such as aspirin and ticlopidine (Ticlid) which act by partially blocking the function of the blood elements, called platelets, that assist in blood clotting. A personal story: A good friend recently had loss of vision in one eye for about 10 minutes. He had had a TIA. He promptly called his doctor who found he had narrowing of one of his carotid arteries. The artery was cleaned out and opened up (by endarterectomy). Our friend is alright now. The moral of this story is: A TIA is a mini-stroke warning that a major stroke may be about to occur. Get treatment pronto.

Medical dictionary. 2011.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Transient ischemic attack — Classification and external resources ICD 10 G45.9 ICD 9 435.9 …   Wikipedia

  • transient ischemic attack — n a brief episode of cerebral ischemia that is usu. characterized by temporary blurring of vision, slurring of speech, numbness, paralysis, or syncope and that is often predictive of a serious stroke abbr. TIA called also mini stroke * * * (TIA)… …   Medical dictionary

  • transient ischemic attack — noun Date: 1966 a brief episode of cerebral ischemia that is usually characterized by temporary blurring of vision, slurring of speech, numbness, paralysis, or syncope and is often predictive of a serious stroke abbreviation TIA; called also… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • transient ischemic attack — Pathol. a brief vascular spasm in which a partially blocked artery impedes blood flow to the brain, resulting in symptoms such as impaired vision, dizziness, numbness, or unconsciousness. Abbr.: TIA * * * …   Universalium

  • transient ischemic attack — noun A temporary cessation or reduction of blood supply to part of the brain, resulting in brief neurologic dysfunction that usually persists for less than 24 hours. Syn: mini stroke, TIA …   Wiktionary

  • transient ischemic attack — noun brief episode in which the brain gets insufficient blood supply; symptoms depend on the site of the blockage • Syn: ↑TIA • Hypernyms: ↑ischemia, ↑ischaemia …   Useful english dictionary

  • TIA — can mean any of the following:Medicine*Transient ischemic attack, a change to the amount of blood received in a particular part of the brain (sometimes incorrectly referred to as a mini stroke by laypersons).Aviation*Tampa International Airport… …   Wikipedia

  • TIA + CE — transient ischemic attack plus carotid endarterectomy …   Medical dictionary

  • TIA — Transient ischemic attack (Accidenteisquémico transitorio) …   Diccionario de siglas médicas y otras abreviaturas

  • TIA + CE — • transient ischemic attack plus carotid endarterectomy …   Dictionary of medical acronyms & abbreviations

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