Unfortunately, diagnosing TIA can be difficult, as it depends on detailed history-taking; by definition, patients' symptoms have resolved at the time of assessment, and there is no established biomarker for TIA.
Tests will be done to rule out a stroke or other disorders that may cause the symptoms: You will likely have a head CT scan or brain MRI. A stroke may show changes on these tests, but TIAs will not.
Many people may recognize classical signs of a TIA. However, recent research suggests that less common symptoms may go unnoticed. That's unfortunate, because a TIA is an important sign that all is not right with the brain's health.
The rate of TIA misdiagnosis among TIA clinic referred patients was 45.8%.
If you've had an ischemic stroke, it's likely that it won't show up on a CT scan of your brain for 24 to 48 hours.
Frequent causes of transient neurological symptoms that can mimic TIA include: Migraine aura. Seizure. Syncope. Functional or anxiety related.
In a previously reported study, 31% of TIA patients showed an acute infarction visualized by MRI including DWI. A strong association was found between neurological symptoms, speech dysfunction and weakness and an evidence of acute infarction by MRI including DWI (Al-Khaled and Eggers, 2013).
However, mounting evidence suggests that an MRI within 1 to 2 days of a TIA could spot evidence of a stroke that may disappear in time. MRIs can detect tissue damage even when symptoms are temporary. The sophisticated imaging technique can detect stroke lesions that may become less apparent quickly.
TIAs look like strokes in terms of signs and symptoms, but they are temporary. In other words, they leave no lasting brain damage or residual symptoms. However, they serve as a warning sign that a person is at higher risk of a major stroke and should seek immediate medical attention.
Neurologists were more likely to diagnose transient ischemic attack based on clinical features including negative symptoms or speech deficits.
Symptoms of a TIA come on suddenly. You may feel perfectly fine one minute and then suddenly develop difficulty speaking or moving one side of your body. Sometimes the symptoms will come and go several times in a short period of time.
Blood tests for stroke. There is no blood test that can diagnose a stroke. However, in the hospital, your doctor or nurse may do a series of blood tests to learn the cause of your stroke symptoms: Complete blood count (CBC).
Most patients in the US and Canada receive a computed tomography (CT) scan in the 24 hours following a TIA or a non-disabling stroke – a stroke that has not caused long-term disability. A CT scan provides cross-sectional images of the brain, allowing a more in-depth analysis of blood circulation and tissue damage.
You'll probably be given low-dose aspirin straight after a suspected TIA. Aspirin works as an antiplatelet medicine. Platelets are blood cells that help blood to clot. Antiplatelet medicines work by reducing the ability of platelets to stick together and form blood clots.
dizziness. confusion. difficulty understanding what others are saying. problems with balance and co-ordination.
Even if a major stroke is avoided, repeated mini strokes can have a cumulative negative effect on one's brain health and cognitive function. In severe cases, vascular dementia may result from untreated cerebrovascular events.
Always treat a TIA as seriously as you would a stroke. "Even though the symptoms resolve, there might be damage to the brain, so you need to see a neurologist," Dr. Rost advises.
TIAs are often an early warning sign that a person is at risk of stroke. About 1 in 3 people who has a TIA goes on to experience a subsequent stroke. The risk of stroke is especially high within 48 hours after a TIA .
You do not need to be admitted to hospital because of a TIA, but this is often done because of the absence of an alternative. Many TIA clinics now offer a “one-stop” service for which the patient is assessed, investigated (or investigated before the appointment), and given results at the same session.
Yes, you can have a stroke and not know it. A stroke's effects can be undetectable if the stroke is small or if the tissue damaged does not serve a critical function. Evidence of the stroke would show on a CT scan or an MRI of the brain, but it might not produce symptoms.
Some people might have more than one TIA and it is possible to have several TIAs in a short space of time (for example, several TIAs within a day).
Here's something you probably won't hear in the emergency room: A transient ischemic attack (TIA, or mini-stroke) can have symptoms that last for months or years afterward. Many healthcare providers think these symptoms are rare or at least short term, but a 2013 survey from the UK Stroke Association showed otherwise.
While partial seizures and complicated migraine are the most common and important TIA/stroke mimics, on occasion panic attacks, conversion disorder, vertigo, and syncope can also be confused with TIA. Panic attacks occasionally involve focal neurologic symptoms, but more typically the symptoms are vague and random.