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Marie Lanen
Head of parenting sections (baby, pregnancy, family), psychology and beauty
Every year in France, 40,000 people suffer from a transient ischemic attack (TIA), also called a “mini stroke”. Here are 5 warning signs of this stroke warning sign.
If doctors do not like the term “mini stroke”, it is because it tends to minimize the seriousness of this transient ischemic attack (TIA). Indeed, according to the Ameli.fr website, “brief and transient symptoms of TIA should be considered as an emergency”. Here are 5 according to the experts interviewed in the columns of HuffPost.
Loss of balance and/or dizziness
According to Dr. Hardik Amin, associate professor of neurology and medical director of stroke at Yale New Haven Hospital, one of the most common signs of a TIA is difficulty and weakness with balance. He also specifies that this can occur on only one side of the body.
Vision problems
The expert informs that a person having “loss of vision in one or both eyes, or double vision” can suffer from a TIA. Contrary to popular belief, the patient will not necessarily no longer see anything, but rather suffer from diplopia (the perception of 2 images of a single object), for example.
A drooping or loss of facial muscle control
These two signs are quite characteristic of a TIA. The patient may feel sagging of part of their face, or numbness and difficulty controlling certain facial muscles such as the mouth. This symptom should lead you to seek emergency medical attention.
Weakness in the arm
Do you suddenly have difficulty lifting objects with one arm as if you no longer have any strength? It can also be a warning sign of TIA.
Confused words
Speech problems are one of the hallmark signs of a potential TIA. The person will have confused speech and difficulty articulating correctly.
TIA: transient signs not to be taken lightly
These signs of TIA usually disappear within a few minutes. This means that there is an obstacle to blood circulation in the brain. Health Insurance insists on “the urgency and need for appropriate care because the risk of having a stroke within a week is high“. Doctors will then request an emergency medical imaging assessment either by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or by brain scanner.