‘Mini-Stroke’ Therapy May Reduce Stroke Risks

Centers that aggressively treat short-term "mini-strokes" offered new data and evidence that pointed out how immediate action can cut the odds of a serious episode from happening.

A stroke -- or a "brain attack" -- can happen to anyone at any time and usually occurs when blood flow to an area of the brain is cut off. When strokes happen, brain cells are being deprived of oxygen and begin to die, leading to the loss of memory and muscle control.

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The findings from the New England Journal of Medicine shared that it will be more beneficial for a patient to be sent to the hospital even if muscle weakness or slurred speech lasts only a few seconds. This is because mini-strokes or transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) often bring with them potentially deadly strokes that can come in a matter of hours or days.

Pierre Amarenco of the Bichat Hospital in Paris said that everyone should worry about the symptoms no matter how short they are -- even a few seconds will count.

The ongoing study has been using previous stroke estimates for comparison purposes and is based on data from 4,789 patients registered on TIAregistry.org, which is designed to follow cases for up to five years. However, this didn't include a comparison group that could offer the best evidence.

Dr. Donna Arnett, dean of public health at the University of Kentucky, did share that it does help build evidence that could help patients get in for early treatment. Despite not being involved in the study, she urged individuals that any kind of "mini-stroke" should lead them to the hospital to be evaluated. Fox News noted that research done before 2004 already suggested that stroke risk increases to 10 percent two days after mini-stroke symptoms appear, and between 8 to 20 percent for the 30- to 90-day period after the onset of the symptom.