A transient ischemic attack (TIA), sometimes
called a mini-stroke, starts just like a stroke but
then resolves leaving no noticeable symptoms or
deficits. The occurrence of a TIA is a warning that
the person is at risk for a more serious and
debilitating stroke. Of the approximately 50,000
Americans who have a TIA each year, about one-third
will have an acute stroke sometime in the
future. The addition of other risk factors compounds
a person's risk for a recurrent stroke. The average
duration of a TIA is a few minutes. For almost all
TIAs, the symptoms go away within an hour. There is
no way to tell whether symptoms will be just a TIA
or persist and lead to death or disability. The
patient should assume that all stroke symptoms
signal an emergency and should not wait to see if
they go away.
Recurrent stroke is frequent; about 25 percent of
people who recover from their first stroke will have
another stroke within 5 years. Recurrent stroke is a
major contributor to stroke disability and death,
with the risk of severe disability or death from
stroke increasing with each stroke recurrence. The
risk of a recurrent stroke is greatest right after a
stroke, with the risk decreasing with time. About 3
percent of stroke patients will have another stroke
within 30 days of their first stroke and one-third
of recurrent strokes take place within 2 years of
the first stroke.
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