TIA: What is it and Why You Shouldn’t Ignore the Symptoms

One in three people who have a transient ischemic attack goes on to suffer a major stroke. The Mayo Clinic also says that up to 20% of TIA patients have a stroke within 90 days, and half of those strokes happen in the first 48 hours. 

Those who experience small, fleeting symptoms of a mini-stroke are served a warning, and what happens in the minutes and hours afterward can make a huge difference. Continue reading to learn the symptoms of a TIA, why that 48-hour window after a TIA is so dangerous, and how getting care from the best endovascular neurosurgeons in Thousand Oaks can help prevent you from experiencing a more serious stroke and permanent brain damage.

Understanding What a Transient Ischemic Attack is and How it Raises Stroke Risk

A transient ischemic attack, commonly called a TIA, happens when blood flow to part of your brain is briefly cut off. The cause is usually a small clot or a piece of plaque that broke loose from inside a blood vessel wall. Within seconds, the brain cells in that area start to misfire, which is what causes temporary stroke symptoms like losing the use of an arm, slurring your words, or losing vision in one eye. 

Unlike a stroke, the blockage during a TIA clears on its own within minutes to hours, and the symptoms vanish, but the system that caused it in the first place is still broken. The nickname mini-stroke makes the whole thing sound smaller than it is, and that has cost people their lives. 

A TIA is not always smaller or less dangerous than a full stroke, and the only real difference between the two is how long the blockage lasted before it dissolved. A stroke and a TIA share the same plumbing, the same clots, the same narrowed arteries.

How Serious is a TIA? 

Research shows that the risk of a follow-up stroke is highest in the first 48 hours after a TIA, then tapers down as the days pass. That is the opposite of what most people assume, which is part of why they wait. In fact, some studies found that patients who had a recurrent stroke within 90 days of their first event never sought medical attention for the original warning sign. They felt better, so they went back to their normal life. The good news is that with the right examination and treatment plan, the risk of a stroke after a TIA can be cut by roughly 80%. 

The BE FAST Warning Signs of a TIA or Stroke

Doctors use the acronym BE FAST to teach people how to spot a TIA or stroke as it is happening. The letters stand for: 

• Balance: Sudden dizziness or stumbling
• Eyes: Double vision, sudden blurriness, or a dark curtain sliding down across one eye ‍
• Face: Asymmetry or drooping on one side ‍
• Arm: Weakness in one side of the body, a limb feeling heavy or fully asleep ‍
• Speech: Slurred, jumbled, or struggling to find the right words or form words ‍
• Time: A reminder that time is of the essence, and you must seek emergency care right away 

A good rule of thumb is if any of these symptoms come on suddenly, affect one side of your body, call 911. Do not drive yourself. 

What Causes a TIA? 

The most common causes of TIAs in working-age adults are high blood pressure, high cholesterol, insulin resistance or type II diabetes, smoking or vaping, untreated sleep apnea, and an irregular heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation that can go undiagnosed for years. 

The mechanics behind a TIA fall into a handful of categories and can only be determined by imaging: 

• A clot can form in the heart and travel up to the brain
• A piece of plaque can break off the inside of a carotid artery in your neck and lodge in a brain vessel
• The small vessels deep inside the brain can narrow from years of high blood pressure and choke off blood flow on their own

What Happens When a TIA is Suspected? The Rapid TIA Workup That Can Prevent a Major Stroke

A rapid TIA evaluation is a coordinated workup that takes a couple of hours and includes: 

• An MRI to see whether any small areas of damage are already visible from the episode 
• Imaging of the blood vessels, often a CT angiogram or an ultrasound of the carotid arteries in your neck, that looks for narrowing or plaque that could cause another clot
• An echocardiogram and a heart rhythm monitor check whether the source is sitting in your heart
• Bloodwork to evaluate cholesterol, blood sugar, and clotting factors

The results of these tests can not only guide your immediate treatment, but also help guide a preventative care plan that helps reduce your risk of future TIAs and strokes.

Finding the Best Endovascular Specialists in Thousand Oaks for TIA Treatment

The symptoms of a TIA may pass quickly, but it is a serious medical event that needs expert attention and the best stroke treatment in Thousand Oaks. At the Vascular and Neuroscience Institute, we offer advanced imaging and tests that quickly find the source of the blockage, map the blood vessels, and build a treatment plan aimed at preventing the stroke that has not happened yet. 

With advanced neurovascular imaging, endovascular expertise, and a team of top endovascular surgeons focused on protecting blood flow to the brain, we help patients move from fear and uncertainty toward clear answers and decisive care. 

Ready to protect your brain health and prevent future TIAs and strokes with guidance from the best endovascular specialists in Thousand Oaks?