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Difference Between a Stroke & a TIA

A cerebrovascular accident (CVA), or stroke, occurs when blood supply is occluded from neural tissue. This can occur in two different manners. An ischemic stroke happens when a blood vessel is blocked, and oxygen-rich blood cannot reach specific parts of the brain. The other is a hemorrhagic stroke, in which a blood vessel supplying blood to a part of the brain ruptures. Transient ischemic attacks (TIA) are similar to strokes, but the differences are significant.

  1. Duration

    • When a stroke or TIA occurs, the patient must seek medical attention immediately. The symptoms of a TIA normally only persists for 30 minutes or so. By definition, strokes are diagnosed if the symptoms last for longer than 24 hours. While patients can recover fully from mild strokes, more severe strokes have longer lasting ramifications. The symptoms of a TIA should result in no long-lasting cognitive or physiological damage.

    Damage

    • Ischemic strokes are about five time more likely than hemorrhagic strokes. The onset of a stroke is quick, so it is important to act fast. In an ischemic stoke, the part of the brain being supplied by the occluded vessel begins improper function in only a few minutes. If the blood supply continues to be diminished, neural tissue will begin to die, in what is called brain infarction. In hemorrhagic strokes, the blood from the ruptured vessel begins to clot. Brain tissue surrounding the clot can be disrupted, suppressed and choked off.

      When a TIA occurs, the vessel is only briefly blocked, so any brain tissue that receives little or no oxygen will recover completely. Most TIAs last less than five minutes. Once they are over, there is generally no noticeable damage.

    Risk

    • The most important thing that a patient can do when experiencing a TIA or a stroke is to seek medical attention. TIAs, while not permanent, can be an early warning sign of an impending stroke. Nearly 30 percent of patients who experience a TIA will suffer a stroke within a year or two. Consulting a physician and treating the risk factors following a TIA may help prevent a future stroke. Seeking medical attention may help to slow the onset or completely ward off any lasting damage from a stroke if it does occur.

    Symptoms

    • The syptoms of a stroke and a TIA are similar, and include confusion or problems with speech and comprehension, sudden onset of vision trouble, issues with balance or walking and numbness or loss of strength in the face, arms or legs, particularly on one side of the body.

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