If you think you have had a transient ischaemic attack, it’s vital to seek urgent medical help right away to get a diagnosis and treatment. Always call 999 if you experience any symptoms of TIA.
How is TIA diagnosed?
A healthcare professional will assess you and ask you about what happened. If a TIA is suspected, you will be given aspirin to reduce the risk of a stroke, unless there is a medical reason why you cannot take aspirin.
You should be referred to see a specialist doctor or nurse within 24 hours of your symptoms. Your appointment with a specialist might be at a TIA clinic or in a hospital stroke unit.
The most important information for confirming a TIA is your story about the symptoms, when they happened and how long they lasted. You might find it helpful to have a family member with you, if possible, to help with the story.
Symptoms can be caused by other problems, so the specialist doctor or nurse will listen carefully to you and confirm if you have had a TIA.
If a TIA is confirmed, doctors will try to find out how it happened. You will be given treatment and advice to reduce your risk of having a stroke in future.
Tests and checks you might have
- You may have a brain scan, but not everyone needs a scan.
- You will have tests for health problems linked to stroke, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
- You might have heart monitoring to check for heart conditions.
- You might have a scan to check for blocked blood vessels in your neck.
Why didn’t I have a brain scan to diagnose TIA?
A TIA is a temporary blockage in your brain, so it may not cause damage that would show up on a scan. If doctors are not sure what caused your symptoms, you may have a magnetic resonance imaging scan (MRI). This can rule out other causes of the symptoms, such as bleeds or abnormalities in the brain. An MRI can sometimes show the site of the TIA, especially if it’s done soon after it happens. But this is not the main way that a TIA is diagnosed.
TIA treatments
TIA treatments aim to reduce the chances of another clot entering your brain.
Blood-thinning medication
You may be offered a type of blood-thinning medication to reduce the risk of another clot. There are two main types.
• Antiplatelet medications: These include aspirin and clopidogrel. They make the sticky particles in your blood less likely to clump together and form clots.
• Anticoagulant medications: If the clot came from the heart because of a condition like atrial fibrillation, you may be given an anticoagulant. Anticoagulants reduce the risk of clot formation.
Treating blocked arteries in the neck
If you have a carotid artery (in your neck) which is narrowed by more than 50%, you might be offered surgery to clear the blockage.
Treating a damaged artery in the neck
If you have a damaged artery in the neck (arterial dissection), you will be given blood-thinning medication for some time. Arterial dissection is often due to an injury. It tends to be seen more often in younger stroke survivors.
After a TIA, you should also be given any treatment you need for health conditions linked to stroke, plus advice on any lifestyle changes you might need, such as quitting smoking and eating more healthily. By following treatments and advice, you can help reduce your risk of another TIA or stroke.