The American Heart Association issued a statement urging people experiencing stroke-like symptoms to seek emergency stroke treatment. They discovered that 10 to 18% of people who have a "transient stroke" have a stroke within 90 days. Every year, 795,000 people in the United States suffer a stroke, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Furthermore, the US Department of Health and Human Services reported that nearly 610,000 people were diagnosed with the condition for the first time, with 137,000 dying. Stroke deaths in the Philippines reached 74,167, or 11.00% of total deaths, according to the most recent data published by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2020. The Philippines ranks #66 in the world with an age-adjusted death rate of 104.08 per 100,000 population.
When stroke-like symptoms appear for a few minutes or hours and then disappear, this is referred to as a transient ischemic attack (TIA). Symptoms, like those of a stroke, usually appear suddenly. According to research, 10- 18% of TIAs result in a stroke within 90 days. According to one study, 31% of patients who had a recurrent stroke within 90 days of their first TIA had not sought medical attention. A transient ischemic attack (TIA) is a temporary blockage of blood flow to the brain. Almost half of all strokes in people who have had a TIA happen within two days. For this reason, TIA is often described as a 'warning stroke'.
Face drop on one side, inability to lift and maintain both arms due to weakness or numbness, slurred or garbled speech or inability to speak, complete paralysis on one side of the body, sudden vision loss, blurred vision, or double vision, vertigo, confusion, and problems with balance and coordination are some of the symptoms. A family history of stroke or TIA, being 55 or older, being male, having high blood pressure, having diabetes, and smoking tobacco are all risk factors for TIA according to Supreet Khare.
"It's difficult to confidently diagnose a TIA because most patients are back to normal function by the time they arrive at the emergency room," said Dr. Hardik P. Amin, associate professor of neurology and medical stroke director at Yale New Haven Hospital's St. Raphael Campus in New Haven, Connecticut, and one of the study's authors in a press release. To assess for stroke risk after TIA, the AHA recommends the 7-point ABCD2Trusted Source score, which evaluates stroke risk according to the following:
- age
- blood pressure
- clinical features (symptoms)
- duration of symptoms
- diabetes status
Because TIAs frequently occur hours or days before a stroke, seeking medical attention immediately after a possible TIA is critical. If you suspect you've had a TIA, seek immediate medical attention. Prompt evaluation and identification of potentially treatable conditions may aid in stroke prevention. Knowing your risk factors and living a healthy lifestyle are the most effective ways to avoid a TIA.
ZDS DMO II Marie-Claire Gaas, RND
References:
1. 'Warning stroke': What it is and why you shouldn't dismiss the symptoms
By Annie Lennon on January 19, 2023 — Fact checked by Anna Guildford, Ph.D.
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/warning-stroke-what-it-is-and-why-you-shouldnt-dismiss-the-symptoms
2. Stroke statistics
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
https://www.cdc.gov/stroke/facts.htm#:~:text=Stroke%20statistics,-In%202020%2C%201&text=Every%2040%20seconds%2C%20someone%20in,minutes%2C%20someone%20dies%20of%20stroke.&text=Every%20year%2C%20more%20than%20795%2C000,United%20States%20have%20a%20stroke.
3. How many people are affected by/at risk for stroke?
US Department of Health and Human Services
https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/stroke/conditioninfo/risk
4. Stroke in the Philippines
https://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/philippines-stroke
5. Risk factors of transient ischemic attack: An overview
Supreet Khare
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4832890/#:~:text=Risk%20factors%20for%20TIA%20include,other%20risk%20factors%20of%20TIA.
