Mini-Strokes Linked to Increased Risk for Early Death

People who suffer from a transient ischemic attack (TIA), also known as a mini-stroke, face a significantly greater likelihood of dying early in comparison to individuals who have never experienced such an attack. A new study from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia found that those who suffer TIAs are 20 percent more likely to face death within just nine years of having a TIA.

TIAs occur when there is a temporary loss of blood flow to the brain. Symptoms are much the same as those for stroke, including paralysis, sudden weakness or numbness, dimming or loss of vision, impaired or slurred speech, and mental confusion.

Unlike stroke, symptoms of a TIA are normally resolve within a period ranging from a few minutes to 24 hours. While brain damage can still occur from a TIA, such attacks don’t result in permanent disabilities. However, the occurrence of a TIA increases a patient’s risk for suffering a stroke.

In a news release, study author Melina Gattellari, a senior lecturer at the School of Public Health and Community Medicine at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, and Ingham Institute in Liverpool, Australia, acknowledged, “People experiencing a TIA won't die from it, but they will have a high risk of early stroke and also an increased risk of future problems that may reduce life expectancy.”

The study, which recently appeared in the journal Stroke, found that the greatest risks were among TIA patients with a previous history of heart problems, as well as those who were beyond the age of 65.

While the overall increase in death rates due to TIAs was small, among older patients, aged 75 to 84, the risk of death was almost eight times higher in comparison to TIA patients having an age of less than 50 years. For those aged 85 and older, the risk was even greater at 11 times that of younger patients.

Findings also indicated that congestive heart failure patients who suffered a TIA had a 3.3 times greater likelihood of dying, while those having an abnormal heart rhythm, known as atrial fibrillation, were at double the risk of death.