If the symptoms are short-term-lasting less than a few minutes or hours-they may be referred to as a "transient ischemic attack" or TIA. People who have TIA’s are at increased risk for a future stroke.

TIA’s are considered a warning sign for strokes. They are caused by a temporary loss of blood flow to a part of the brain. Unlike stroke symptoms, TIA symptoms usually disappear within 10 to 20 minutes, although they may last longer. They are often called mini-strokes, but that is not strictly accurate because unlike minor strokes, the symptoms of TIA’s clear completely.

A recent study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, conducted at Kaiser Permanente, found that certain clinical feature in TIA patients are associated with an increased risk of stroke. Overall the 3 month stroke risk for patients presenting with TIA was about 10% within 3 months. Patients with all five of these “risk factors” had a 3 month stroke risk of greater than 30%. These risk factors included:

• Diabetes
• Duration of symptoms greater than 10 minutes
• Age greater than 60
• Speech difficulty
• Weakness

If you have a TIA, you need emergency care. A TIA is a warning signal that a stroke may soon occur.