Transient ischemic attack (TIA)

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Causes

By Mayo Clinic staff

A transient ischemic attack has the same origins as that of an ischemic stroke, the most common type of stroke. In an ischemic stroke, a clot blocks the blood supply to part of your brain. In a transient ischemic attack, unlike a stroke, the blockage is brief, and there is no permanent damage.

The underlying cause of a TIA often is a buildup of cholesterol-containing fatty deposits called plaques (atherosclerosis) in an artery or one of its branches that supplies oxygen and nutrients to your brain. Plaques can decrease the blood flow through an artery or lead to the development of a clot. Other causes include a blood clot moving to your brain from another part of your body, most commonly from your heart.

Risk factors Symptoms
References
  1. NINDS transient ischemic attack information page. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/tia/tia.htm. Accessed Dec. 28, 2010.
  2. Transient ischemic attack (TIA). American Stroke Association. http://www.strokeassociation.org/STROKEORG/AboutStroke/TypesofStroke/TIA/TIA-Transient-Ischemic-Attack_UCM_310942_Article.jsp. Accessed Dec. 28, 2010.
  3. Kistler JP, et al. Definition of transient ischemic attack. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Dec. 27, 2010.
  4. Aminoff MJ, et al. Nervous system disorders. In: McPhee SJ, et al. Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment. 50th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2011. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=12696&searchStr=transient+ischemic+attack. Accessed Dec. 28, 2010.
  5. Kistler JP, et al. Etiology and clinical manifestations of transient ischemic attack. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Dec. 27, 2010.
  6. Furie KL, et al. Secondary prevention of stroke: Risk factor reduction. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Dec. 27, 2010.
  7. Stroke risk factors. American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4716. Accessed Jan. 5, 2011.
  8. Goldstein LB, et al. Guidelines for the primary prevention of stroke. Stroke. 2011;42:517.
  9. Kistler JP, et al. Initial evaluation and management of transient ischemic attack and minor stroke. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Dec. 27, 2010.
  10. Cucchiara B, et al. Transient ischemic attack. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2011; 154(1):ITC1.
  11. Kistler JP, et al. Secondary prevention for specific causes of ischemic stroke and transient ischemic stroke. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Dec. 27, 2010.
  12. Stroke treatment. American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4724. Accessed Jan. 7, 2011.
  13. Cholesterol and stroke. National Stroke Association. http://www.stroke.org/site/DocServer/Cholesterol_and_Stroke_2_6-09.pdf?docID=3024. Accessed Jan. 18, 2011.
DS00220 March 3, 2011

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