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What’s the Difference Between a TIA and a Stroke?

September 27, 2024

Most people are familiar the signs and symptoms of a stroke. But sometimes, the culprit is actually a transient ischemic attack, or TIA.

“A transient ischemic attack (TIA) and a stroke are very similar because they are caused by the same things,” explains Kelly Matmati, MD, chief and stroke director of neurology, Fairfield region, at the Hartford HealthCare Ayer Neuroscience Institute.

While they share similar causes, there are important differences that you need to know, and Dr. Matmati is here to help explain them.

The symptoms can be similar.

In both a stroke and a TIA, the brain experiences “ischemia.”

“This means there isn’t enough blood flow reaching a part of the brain,” explains Dr. Matmati. “As a result, neurological symptoms occur.”

Both a TIA and a stroke can happen suddenly and are usually painless.

Some common symptoms to watch out for include:

• Weakness or numbness on one side of the body.
• Sudden difficulty speaking, such as slurred speech or trouble getting words out.
• Sudden vision loss on one side or in one eye.
• Facial droop on one side.

But the differences are clear.

Although a TIA and a stroke share similar causes and symptoms, they are not the same.

“I tell my patients that a TIA is stroke symptoms that come on but then go away without leaving any lasting effects,” explains Dr. Matmati.

With a stroke, symptoms tend to persist. In a TIA, however, the symptoms usually resolve within 20 to 30 minutes, though they can last up to 24 hours.

“Sometimes, a person will have transient symptoms like a TIA, but when we perform a brain scan, such as an MRI, we can see signs of a stroke,” adds Dr. Matmati. “In these cases, we classify it as a stroke because there are lasting changes to the brain.”

> Related: 7 Ways to Reduce Your Stroke Risk

If you experience sudden neurological symptoms, call 911.

If you are experiencing the symptoms of a stroke, it’s important that you seek immediate treatment. Your medical team will also perform a full workup to determine the underlying cause.

“The evaluation focuses on identifying issues like narrowing of the arteries, such as the carotid arteries in the neck. If we find significant narrowing, the patient may need surgery or a stent to prevent another stroke,” explains Dr. Matmati.

The care team will also look for common causes of TIA and stroke, such as atrial fibrillation—an irregular heart rhythm that can cause clots to form in the heart and travel to the brain, leading to a TIA or stroke.

“If the symptoms are persistent and the stroke team is concerned about stroke, they can try to stop the stroke with a clot-busting medication or minimally invasive removal of the clot (stroke thrombectomy),” adds Dr. Matmati. “If it’s a TIA, no acute treatment is needed since the symptoms have resolved, and care will focus on the workup and secondary prevention.”

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Don’t minimize or underestimate a TIA.

Hearing that you didn’t have a stroke can be a relief, but it’s not a green light to carry on as usual.

“A TIA may not leave lasting effects, but we should treat it just as seriously as a stroke,” emphasizes Dr. Matmati. “Always call 911 and get to the hospital because you can’t predict whether the symptoms will resolve quickly or return.”

Even though a TIA isn’t a stroke, it’s often called a “warning stroke.”

“We diagnose TIAs because they indicate a higher risk of a future stroke,” says Dr. Matmati. “The risk is greatest in the first few weeks after a TIA, so identifying the cause rapidly allows us to begin prevention or treatment right away.”