The good news with mini stroke aftereffects is, they do not last longer than a few minutes. However, its occurrence must be taken as a warning of an impending stroke. Know all about this condition from the article compiled below.
Mini stroke is known to be a milder version of stroke, and a warning sign of the latter. According to experts, if 100 people have a mini stroke, then it is most likely that about 33% of them would eventually experience the true stoke. However, there is no certainty of the time when the stroke would occur. It may take minutes, several months or even years after the incidence of the mini stroke.
Mini stroke is also known as Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA). The reason it is known as a mini stroke is its nature to produce similar symptoms as that of a real stroke, but only for a brief period. What happens in a stroke is, there occurs a blockage in the artery that feeds the part of the brain thus, damaging the blood tissues.
Now it may not take more than a minute for the brain cells to die, and give rise to fatal conditions for the affected person. And this makes conditions such as stroke a medical emergency. However, what happens in a mini stroke is, the blood supply is blocked due to the same reasons. However, this blockage is brief, and this causes the blood to flow back thus, causing the symptoms to disappear, with no permanent damage.
Aftereffects of Transient Ischemic Attack
As mentioned, the aftereffects produced by a mini stroke do not stay for long. In fact in most people, the symptoms do not last more than an hour. Also, these aftereffects are the ones that resemble those that occur in an early stage of a stroke. These may include:
- One side of the body may feel to have gone numb, heavy, or have a tingling feeling. Arm or leg may become too weak to be moved.
- Speech may get slurry, and the affected person may also not be able to decipher what others are trying to communicate.
- When mini stroke occurs, it is common for the person to have a blurry vision, or a double vision.
- Dizzy spells may accompany the above symptoms.
- The affected person may feel a loss of coordination thus, may have trouble walking or become clumsy.
Causes and Treatment of Mini Stroke
A stroke and a mini stroke share the same origin. The blockage in the blood supply occurs as a result of a blood clot. And this blood clot occurs as a result of fatty deposits known as plaque (containing cholesterol). These substances start building up in the arteries that are responsible for supplying oxygen and nutrients to the brain. Other causes may include heart attack, or abnormal heart rhythms.
The treatment aims to correct the underlying cause of the mini stroke, and help the patient take all precautions to avoid the onset of a true stroke, which in most cases, occurs as a debilitating problem. After determining the cause, patients may be recommended with medications to reduce the chances of blood to clot. A surgery may also be recommended, which would involve clearing out the fatty deposits, about which the article has mentioned earlier. In addition to this, if the patient has diabetes, hypertension, or high cholesterol, then he would have to be treated for these diseases as well.
