TIA/Ministrokes

Stroke is our third leading cause of death and the leading cause of adult disability in America. Survey results released today show that 2.5% of all adults over the age of 18 or nearly five million Americans have experienced a transient ischemic attack, also known as TIA or mini-stroke. The condition is much more common than previously thought, especially among older Americans. Of those adults over age 65, 8.5% or more than two and a half million people reported they have been diagnosed with a TIA or mini-stroke.

The survey sponsored by the National Stroke Association is the first large-scale, nationwide consumer survey specifically designed to uncover the incidence of TIA/Mini-Stroke in the United States. While nearly five million people reported having been diagnosed by their physician as having had a TIA/Mini-Stroke, fewer than four in ten understood what a TIA was.

Many strokes can be prevented by understanding what a TIA/Mini-Stroke is. About a third of TIA patients go on to have a full stroke; some could be prevented if the preceding TIA/Mini-Stroke is immediately reported to a doctor

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