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Recent News and Articles on the Keywords: attack + ischemic + transient  Related to the article below (Last Update: 8/5/2008)

Smartening up about strokes easy as STR London Free Press, Canada - Aug 2, 2008 This signal is called a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA), and is due to decreased blood supply to the brain. So never take the attitude, "I'll wait and see ... Fish May Boost Memory, Prevent Stroke WebMD - The lesion is dubbed "silent" if it developed in someone who has not had a recognized stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), also called a mini-stroke. ... Be wary of Henna tattoos Belleville News Democrat,  USA - 24 minutes ago Despite current treatments, one out of four patients who have a stroke or what's known as a transient ischemic attack (TIA) will have another stroke or ... Incorrect Dosage in: A 70-Year-Old Man With a Transient Ischemic ... Journal of American Medical Association (subscription), IL - Jul 22, 2008 Incorrect Dosage: In the Clinical Crossroads article entitled "A 70-Year-Old Man With a Transient Ischemic Attack" published in the July 2, 2008, ... Google Launches Its Challenge To Wikipedia With Wide Release Of Knol Washington Post, United States - Jul 23, 2008 ... there's a lot of competition to rank well. As a test, let's see how long before this Knol on Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) lands on the front search page. Toledo Journal The Little Alarm That Sounds Before a Stroke Toledo Journal, OH - Jul 23, 2008 A Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA), or mini?stroke, leaves no permanent disability. TIAs produce only mild stroke symptoms, so many of the 250000 to 350000 ... Stroke care on Fylde set to improve Blackpool Gazette, UK - Jul 6, 2008 ... a service for Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) ? sometimes called a mini-stroke, which is often a warning sign before someone has a full stroke. ... Your Health Check - STROKE: A scary prospect! Canton Daily Ledger, IL - Jul 23, 2008 We call that warning a transient ischemic (inadequate blood supply) attack or TIA and often is secondary to disease in the carotid arteries of the neck ... Sudden Loss of Hearing May Predict Future Stroke Medi News Direct, India - Jul 10, 2008 Transient ischemic attack (TIA) is an acute episode of temporary and focal loss of cerebral function, which resolves within 24 hours. ... Baltimore Sun Baltimore study links address in a violent area with high risks Baltimore Sun, United States - Jul 17, 2008 Glass examined four ailments: heart attack, stroke, transient ischemic attack - essentially a small stroke without permanent effects - and intermittent ...

Transient Ischemic Attack

A transient ischemic attack is a brief episode during which parts of the brain do not receive enough blood. Because the blood supply is restored quickly, brain tissue does not die as it does in a stroke. These attacks are often early warning signs of a stroke.

A transient ischemic attack starts suddenly and lasts about two to 30 minutes. (Rarely, some can last more than two hours.) The effects vary depending on what part of the brain is deprived of blood and oxygen. Symptoms of an attack can include:

• Loss of (or abnormal) sensations in an arm, leg or one side of the body
• Weakness or paralysis of an arm or leg or one side of the body
• Partial loss of vision or hearing
• Double vision
• Dizziness
• Slurred speech

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• Problems thinking of or saying the right word
• Inability to recognize parts of the body
• Unusual movements
• Loss of bladder control
• Imbalance and falling
• Fainting

The symptoms are similar to those of a stroke, but they do not last and are reversible. However, these attacks tend to recur. A person may have several in a day or only two or three in several years. In approximately one-third of cases, a transient ischemic attack is followed by a stroke, and roughly half of such strokes occur within a year of having an attack.

Such attacks can be caused by a variety of factors, including:

• Small pieces of fatty material or calcium that have built up on an artery wall and then broken off and lodged in the small blood vessels of the brain
• Spasms in the walls of the arteries
• High blood pressure
• A lack of oxygen in the blood flowing to the brain, which can occur when a person is severely anemic, has carbon monoxide poisoning or has leukemia or polycythemia (a condition that produces abnormal blood cells and clotting function).

Many disorders (seizures, tumors, migraines or abnormal blood sugar levels) have symptoms similar to those of transient ischemic attacks. While sudden neurologic symptoms suggest clues about which area of the brain is affected, careful evaluation is necessary. Tools like computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, which are useful in diagnosing a stroke involving brain damage, are not useful for diagnosing transient ischemic attacks that caused no permanent brain damage. Several techniques can be used to confirm an attack if the blockage occurs in one or both carotid arteries, common signs of which can be blindness in one eye, weakness or sensation abnormalities. Diagnostic techniques include:

• Listening to the sound of the blood flow in the carotid arteries using a stethoscope. The uneven flow creates sounds (bruits). However, bruits can be present without any significant blockage.
  
• Ultrasound scan and Doppler flow study. These tests are done at the same time to measure the size of the blockage and how much blood can flow around it.
• An MRI scan or cerebral angiography can be performed if a severe narrowing of the artery is present. In a cerebral angiography, a fluid is injected into an artery while X-rays of the head and neck are taken.
• Computed tomography (CT) angiography

Treatment of transient ischemic attacks is aimed at preventing stroke. The major risk factors for stroke are:

• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol levels
• Smoking
• Diabetes

• Drugs to reduce the ability of the blood to clot. This may be as simple as an aspirin (half of an adult tablet or one children's tablet) a day, or it may mean taking anticoagulants (such as heparin or warfarin). Sometimes dipyridamole is prescribed, but it is not as effective for most people. Ticlopidine may be given to people who do not tolerate aspirin well.
• Surgery may be considered if more than 70% of the vessel is blocked and the person has had stroke-like symptoms in the past six months. Because the usual operation (an endarterectomy) involves a one to two percent risk of causing a stroke, the benefits need to be carefully weighed against the risks in the case of small blockages.