What is a transient ischemic attack?
A transient ischemic attack (TIA), also known as a mini-stroke, is an episode of symptoms caused by reduced blood flow to the brain. In this context, sudden and abnormal signaling of blood vessels in the brain decreases or stops the flow of oxygen-rich blood cells through these vessels.
This reduced blood flow affects tissues, organs, or parts of the body supplied by that particular vessel which carries nutrients to it and removes waste.
The change in blood flow during TIA episodes causes complications such as weakening of vision, hearing loss, slurred speech, vertigo and neck pain.
TIA generally lasts only several minutes and then stops. Affected people usually don’t lose consciousness, and many recover completely within 24 hours without affecting their lives in any way.
Generally, TIAs do not result in death or disability but can predict a future heart attack or another TIA.
TIA can cause a stroke by blocking off all blood flow in an artery or starving part of the brain when a clot forms and blocks one side of its circulation system. TIAs also don’t always happen near important arteries, so it’s important to know the possible risks.
On the other hand, a stroke is when a blood vessel that feeds into the brain bursts or ruptures and cannot provide oxygen to parts of your brain. The damage from this interruption can be pretty severe depending on where in your brain it occurs. It’s important to note that people who are fortunate enough not to experience any symptoms during their stroke can still damage their brain cells or tissue that’s never felt.
If you are worried that your TIA episode may have caused a stroke, please contact your doctor as soon as possible and schedule an appointment for an evaluation.
As you read this blog post, it becomes pretty clear that stress may not be the only cause of a stroke, but it is one of them, and in some cases, stress could contribute to an individual experiencing such an event. Research has shown that many factors could lead to a stroke, and stress is one of them.
