If you were warned that a stroke was in your future, you’d act to prevent it, right? Yet many people ignore a major red flag: the ministroke. According to a recent study in the journal Stroke, only one out of 10 people with symptoms of a ministroke, also called a transient ischemic attack (TIA), actually sought appropriate emergency treatment at a hospital. Watch for Stroke Signals
TIAs occur when blood flow to an area of the brain is temporarily blocked, often due to a blood clot. They are known as ministrokes because they cause the same symptoms as a stroke but last only a few minutes.

Heed the Warning
Health experts say you should assume that all strokelike symptoms signal an emergency. So if you experience even one of the symptoms listed above, seek immediate medical attention or call 911. Remember that ministrokes tend to be brief, but you still need emergency care, even if your symptoms disappear quickly.

For both TIA and stroke, symptoms come on
suddenly and include the following:

• Numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body
• Confusion or dizziness
• Trouble speaking or understanding
• Trouble seeing in one or both eyes
• Difficulty walking
• Loss of balance or coordination
• Severe headache with no known cause

11 Ways to Prevent a Stroke
Seeking help for TIAs is one way to prevent stroke. Discover other ways online. Go to www.paramounthealthcare.com and click on “Better Health for Life,” then “S” in the encyclopedia at top for “stroke.”