What is Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)

Transient ischemic attack is a “warning stroke” that causes stroke-like symptoms that go away quickly. A TIA does not cause lasting damage to the brain. But having a TIA is a sign that you may be at risk for a stroke. Lifestyle changes and medical treatments can help prevent a stroke.

It is important to know the symptoms of a TIA and what to do. Get help right away, even if your symptoms go away. The symptoms of a TIA are the same as those of a stroke. They can happen fast, and they usually go away within minutes or hours. They can include:

• Weakness or loss of feeling in your face, arm, or leg. This often happens on one side of your body.
• Trouble walking.
• Trouble moving your arms or legs.
• Trouble talking or understanding what people are saying.
• Trouble seeing.
• Seeing two of one object (double vision).
• Feeling dizzy.
• Feeling confused.
• Loss of balance or coordination.
• Feeling sick to your stomach (nauseous) and throwing up (vomiting).
• A very bad headache for no reason.

What increases the risk?

Certain things may make you more likely to have a TIA. Some of these are things that you can change, such as:

• Being very overweight (obese).
• Using products that contain nicotine or tobacco, such as cigarettes and e-cigarettes.
• Taking birth control pills.
• Not being active.
• Drinking too much alcohol.
• Using drugs.

Other risk factors include:

• Having an irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation).
• Being African American or Hispanic.
• Having had blood clots, stroke, TIA, or heart attack in the past.
• Being a woman with a history of high blood pressure in pregnancy (preeclampsia).
• Being over the age of 60.
• Being male.
• Having family history of stroke.
• Having the following diseases or conditions:
  • High blood pressure.
  • High cholesterol.
  • Diabetes.
  • Heart disease.
  • Sickle cell disease.
  • Sleep apnea.
  • Migraine headache.
  • Long-term (chronic) diseases that cause soreness and swelling (inflammation).
  • Disorders that affect how your blood clots.

Follow these instructions at home:

Medicines

• Take over-the-counter and prescription medicines only as told by your doctor.
• If you were told to take aspirin or another medicine to thin your blood, take it exactly as told by your doctor.
  • Taking too much of the medicine can cause bleeding.
  • Taking too little of the medicine may not work to treat the problem.

Eating and drinking

• Eat 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day.
• Follow instructions from your doctor about your diet. You may need to follow a certain diet to help lower your risk of having a stroke. You may need to:
  • Eat a diet that is low in fat and salt.
  • Eat foods that contain a lot of fiber.
  • Limit the amount of carbohydrates and sugar in your diet.
• Limit alcohol intake to 1 drink a day for nonpregnant women and 2 drinks a day for men. One drink equals 12 oz of beer, 5 oz of wine, or 1½ oz of hard liquor.

General instructions

• Keep a healthy weight.
• Stay active. Try to get at least 30 minutes of activity on all or most days.
• Find out if you have a condition called sleep apnea. Get treatment if needed.
• Do not use any products that contain nicotine or tobacco, such as cigarettes and e-cigarettes. If you need help quitting, ask your doctor.
• Do not abuse drugs.
• Keep all follow-up visits as told by your doctor. This is important.

Get help right away if:

• You have any signs of stroke. “BE FAST” is an easy way to remember the main warning signs:
  • B – Balance. Signs are dizziness, sudden trouble walking, or loss of balance.
  • E – Eyes. Signs are trouble seeing or a sudden change in how you see.
  • F – Face. Signs are sudden weakness or loss of feeling of the face, or the face or eyelid drooping on one side.
  • A – Arms. Signs are weakness or loss of feeling in an arm. This happens suddenly and usually on one side of the body.
  • S – Speech. Signs are sudden trouble speaking, slurred speech, or trouble understanding what people say.
  • T – Time. Time to call emergency services. Write down what time symptoms started.
• You have other signs of stroke, such as:
  • A sudden, very bad headache with no known cause.
  • Feeling sick to your stomach (nausea).
  • Throwing up (vomiting).
  • Jerky movements that you cannot control (seizure).

These symptoms may be an emergency. Do not wait to see if the symptoms will go away. Get medical help right away. Call your local emergency services (911 in the U.S.). Do not drive yourself to the hospital.

Summary

• A transient ischemic attack (TIA) is a “warning stroke” that causes stroke-like symptoms that go away quickly.
• A TIA is a medical emergency. Get help right away, even if your symptoms go away.
• A TIA does not cause lasting damage to the brain.
• Having a TIA is a sign that you may be at risk for a stroke. Lifestyle changes and medical treatments can help prevent a stroke.