What Is This ‘Mini-Stroke?’

Sometimes, you might get a feeling of stroke. You would suddenly feel uneasy. You might feel as in you are unable to breathe properly and thus giving you a feeling of a stroke. Well, it is not exactly a stroke. This is a mini stroke which known as transient ischemic attack in medical term.

Transient ischemic attack (TIA) happens when the blood flow to the part of the brain stops for a brief period of time. Generally, it lasts for a couple of hours. But in some cases, it can even stretch to 24 hours. It could come as a warning that you have the chances of stroke in the later stages of your life.

Symptoms:

These would come without giving you any warning. Normally, the symptoms stay for a couple of hours and then can go away completely as if they were never there. But, they can again reemerge from nowhere.

The symptoms may vary depending on the area of the brain which is being involved. Although, the most common symptoms may include difficulty in speaking; difficulty writing or reading; weakness on one side of the body; numbness on your face; lack of coordination and balance; inability to recognize people and object; personality, mood or emotional changes; blurred vision; difficulty in swallowing; dizziness; change in alertness; and lack of control over bladder or bowels.

Causes:

One has to understand that it is different from stroke even though it is called as the mini stroke. It happens when there is a halt of blood circulation in an area of the brain. The following could be the causes of having it:

1)    A blood clot in the artery of the brain

2)    An injury of blood vessels

3)    Narrowing of the blood vessels of the vein leading towards the brain

4)    A blood clot which travelled to the brain from different part of the body.

5)    Family history of the stoke

6)    Diabetes

7)    High cholesterol

8)    Increasing age

9)    Atrial fibrillation

Prevention:

As we have seen that the causes can be a bad health condition and also, in some cases, the family history. Apart from it, there are certain precautions that you need to take in order to keep yourself in a proper condition and avoid getting the victim of this problem.

Smoking is indeed bad for your health. It is important that you quit it sooner. It has the capability to affect your entire health. It could be better if you can get rid of it as it can also cause you TIA. High cholesterol is another reason of why some people get this. It is anyhow not good for your overall health.

One also has to exercise regularly and also needs to keep his body weight under control. This way, he would be able to prevent this problem. Also, controlling the alcohol intake could help him a lot. On the other hand, including more and more of fresh green vegetables and fruits in the diet could help you prevent it to the maximum.

It is certainly not good when a person goes through this kind of problem. It is a warning sign that your health is being neglected. It is always better to take the precaution before you get into any sort of ill health or problem. The above prevention tips would certainly help you in every possible way. Also, you can consult your doctor regarding the same.