Stroke Archive

Transient ischemic attacks, or TIAs, can signal an impending stroke, but prompt care can minimize damage.

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Have you ever experienced a brief episode when your body seemed to be a little off—your vision was blurry, your speech slightly slurred, or one side of your body felt weaker than the other? If so, you may have experienced a transient ischemic attack (TIA), says Dr. Natalia Rost, a neurologist at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital. She notes that many women may assume they have suffered a migraine and get back to life as usual once the episode has passed. In fact, a TIA is a serious medical issue and warrants getting immediate treatment.

Why white matter really matters

People who are more physically fit in their mid-to-late 40s may be less likely to have a stroke after age 65 than those who are less fit.

Often referred to as a ministroke , a transient ischemic attack, or TIA, often lasts only minutes, but acts as a warning for a potential full stroke.

Stumble walking across the room? You simply aren't watching your step. Forget a name or can't get out the right words? It's just a fuzzy senior moment. Feeling a little dizzy? You only need to sit down for a second.

A study found that the drug ticagrelor (Brilinta) was no better than aspirin at preventing stroke among people who had a mild stroke or a transient ischemic attack (TIA), which mimics stroke-like symptoms. However, ongoing research may show benefits in using the drug in combination with aspirin.

This old standby may not be your first choice for pain relief, but it still has an important role in disease prevention and first aid.

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We have a lot to thank aspirin for. It's cheap and plentiful. It does a good job of relieving pain and bringing down fevers. It has also been shown to reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, and colon cancer. It can even stop heart attacks and strokes in their tracks. In fact, if you're in your 50s or 60s, you may want to think about taking a low-dose aspirin every day.

After evaluating the results of scores of studies, in April 2016 the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended that women and men ages 50 through 69 who have a 10% risk of a heart attack or stroke in the next 10 years take 81 milligrams (mg) of aspirin daily. Under the previous recommendations—which, were different for men and women—daily low-dose aspirin was advised for women ages 60 through 79 who were at increased risk for cardiovascular events. The recommendation was revised to reflect a new method of calculating the risk of heart attack and stroke and of increased risk of bleeding in older people.

Loneliness and isolation are associated with an increased risk for developing coronary artery disease (CAD) and stroke.

Loneliness and social isolation raises your risk of heart attack, stroke, and even early death, says a new study. The risk was similar to light smoking or obesity. 

Getting immediate attention for symptoms of a transient ischemic attack can minimize the risk of a subsequent stroke.

A painful, blistering rash known as shingles may temporarily increase a person's risk of a stroke or heart attack, according to a study in the Dec. 15, 2015 PLOS Medicine. Also known as herpes zoster, shingles results from a reactivation of the virus that causes chickenpox, which most adults had during childhood.

For the study, researchers analyzed the records of more than 67,000 people ages 65 and older diagnosed with shingles and either a heart attack or stroke from 2006 through 2011. They then compared the rates of cardiovascular events before and after a shingles attack. In the first week after a shingles diagnosis, the risk of a stroke rose 2.4 times and the risk of a heart attack increased 1.7 times compared with baseline risk.

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You get the most bang for your buck from keeping blood pressure in the normal range, but don't skip the other things.

Many tasks are required to run a household. There are groceries to shop for, broken things to fix, and windows to wash. But you need to prioritize: it makes no sense to worry about the weeds in the garden if the mortgage payment is overdue.