People who experience a stroke, or a CVA (cardiovascular accident) may have experienced a smaller warning stroke, or a TIA (transient ischemic attack), say researchers from the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada.
TIAs are strokes that last only a few minutes. The blood flow is blocked, as in a full-blown stroke, but then is restored. Symptoms of a TIA may range from very mild stroke-like symptoms to very severe ones. The researchers found that one of out every eight strokes followed an earlier TIA. The findings of the study were published in the September 29th issue of the …read more

Transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) are often referred to as mini-strokes. You can have all the symptoms of a stroke, but they only last a short time. Some people may have several of them without any long-term effects, others may have only one or two and then have a major stroke not long after.
Almost 50% of people who end up having a major stroke after a TIA have it within 24 hours of the first TIA. For this reason, researchers say you should get to the hospital as soon as possible if you have symptoms of a TIA.
A press release issued …read more

A dear friend of mine lost her father to stroke two weeks ago. In his memory, this week’s Heart Condition Saturday focuses on stroke.
The Stroke Association UK lists 10 things you should know about stroke:
1. Every five minutes someone in the UK has a stroke.
2. A stroke is a brain attack. A stroke happens due to a clot or bleed in the brain, which causes brain cells to die.
3. The signs of a stroke are:
• Facial weakness
• Arm or leg weakness
• Speech problems
• A loss to half of the visual field
These signs may only last a few hours (called …read more