Transient ischemic attack, TIA (Transient Ischemic Attack), can strike any part of the brain.
Its signs include hanging of the oral cavity, difficulty producing or understanding speech, slurred speech, weakness of one limb, paralysis symptoms, double vision, difficulty swallowing, dizziness, blurred vision in one eye.
Even if the symptom goes away, you should go to the emergency room right away.
Content continues after the ad
– One-fifth of patients with cerebrovascular disorders are of working age. We also have patients in their 20s and 30s every week, says neurology specialist Kirsi Rantanen.
The content continues below the ad
Virtually anyone can get a cerebrovascular accident.
– People who would not have thought they would get sick are the most shocked. However, there are no symptoms of a TIA, and about 80 percent of future seizures can be prevented with medical treatment, says Rantanen.
A warning worth responding to
You can also think that a TIA is a great opportunity to prevent a permanent blockage, i.e. a cerebral infarction.
– Half of cerebral infarctions occur within the first two days of a TIA attack. The more time passes, the smaller the risk shrinks.
If speech and hand strength return, many may think that there is nothing to worry about. At worst, you can make the mistake of going to bed – you’ll still have time to see the doctor tomorrow. However, you shouldn’t do that.
If the symptom has been minor, for example slurred speech or a hanging tongue, you can also go to the hospital by taxi, but in the case of symptoms of paralysis or stopping of speech, for example, the right ride is an ambulance.
Numbness or clumsiness that indicate a cerebral circulation disorder usually comes on suddenly, is mostly unilateral and widespread, for example, so that the entire half of the face or an arm or a leg goes numb.
– People are often worried about, for example, numbness in the mouth, fingers or toes, but they usually have nothing to do with a cerebral circulation disorder.
The blockage will dissolve on its own
A TIA attack occurs when a point in a cerebral blood vessel becomes blocked, but unlike a cerebral infarction, it resolves on its own. The scene usually lasts less than ten minutes. At last the symptoms are over within a day.
The symptoms largely depend on whether the momentarily blocked vessel is large, for example the middle cerebral artery. In this case, it is difficult to produce speech or there is paralysis in the arm and leg of the same side. If, on the other hand, the blockage is in a small vessel, the symptom can be more minor, for example weakness of the hand, hanging of the tongue or difficulty in speaking.
– You can’t have a TIA without knowing it, except if it happens during sleep, says Rantanen.
Vertigo confuses judgment
Cerebral circulation is roughly divided into anterior and posterior circulation. About 80 percent have anterior circulation symptoms. Then it becomes difficult to speak, the mouth hangs down, the sight in one eye disappears or various paralysis symptoms may occur.
Back circulation symptoms include double vision, difficulty swallowing, vertigo, nausea and weakness of the limbs. Identifying them is more challenging, because auricular vertigo also causes somewhat similar symptoms, such as vomiting and vertigo.
– In most cases, dizziness is not serious and is caused, for example, by a drop in blood pressure or tension in the neck and shoulder area. In cerebrovascular accident, the vertigo is toppling and circling, and is accompanied by visual field deficits.
It is descriptive that the problems start suddenly, like lightning from the sky.
– If a new symptom suddenly appears, you must first think of the worst option, i.e. cerebral circulation disorder, Rantanen emphasizes.
Treatment and long-term follow-up When a TIA attack is suspected, the brain is imaged, either with computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging.
If the blockage has already dissolved, as is usually the case when the patient arrives at the hospital, the CT scan will be normal. It is often combined with angiography, where the blood vessels are also seen.
What the patient or a loved one tells about the seizure, its duration and symptoms is really important. The purpose is to ensure that there are no infarct changes in the brain or narrowings in the carotid arteries, which could lead to a blockage in the cerebral circulation.
If the symptom is over quickly and there is no need, for example, for carotid artery surgery, the patient may even be discharged the same day. Follow-up is done at a health center or occupational health.
Preventive medication protects
In the initial phase, the aim is to get the blood pressure and cholesterol values sufficiently low and to treat excess weight.
The same factors predispose to a TIA attack as to a cerebral infarction. They include little exercise, unhealthy diet, obesity, high blood pressure, smoking, heavy alcohol use, diabetes and atrial fibrillation, and high cholesterol levels. E-pills, migraine with aura, overweight and pregnancy also increase the risk.
The medication is for the rest of your life, and it is important to take the medication regularly. The palette includes, for example, medications that lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. If there is no underlying cardiac cause, drugs are used that prevent platelets from sticking to each other and thus the formation of clots.
Experts Kirsi Rantanen neurology specialist, HUS.
This article has appeared in Hyvä tervey magazine. As a subscriber, you can read all issues free of charge from the digilehdet.fi service.
Source: www.hyvaterveys.fi
