Symptoms:

Symptoms begin suddenly, last only a short time (from a few minutes to 1 - 2 hours), and go away completely. They may occur again at a later time.

The symptoms of TIA are the same as the symptoms of a stroke and include sudden:

• Abnormal feeling of movement (vertigo) or dizziness
• Change in alertness (sleepiness, less responsive, unconscious, or in a coma)
• Changes in feeling, including touch, pain, temperature, pressure, hearing, and taste
• Confusion or loss of memory
• Difficulty swallowing
• Difficulty writing or reading
• Inability to recognize objects or people
• Lack of control over the bladder or bowels
• Lack of coordination and balance, clumsiness, or trouble walking
• Muscle weakness of the face, arm, or leg (usually only on one side of the body)
• Numbness or tingling on one side of the body
• Personality, mood, or emotional changes
• Problems with eyesight (double vision, loss of all or part of vision)
• Trouble speaking or understanding others who are speaking

Signs and tests:

Almost always, the symptoms and signs of a TIA will have gone away by the time you get to the hospital. A TIA diagnosis may be made based on your medical history alone.

The health care provider will do a complete physical exam to check for heart and blood vessel problems, as well as for problems with nerves and muscles.

Yourblood pressure may be high. The doctor will use a stethoscope to listen to your heart and arteries. An abnormal sound called a bruit may be heard when listening to the carotid artery in the neck or other artery. A bruit is caused by irregular blood flow.

Tests will be done to rule out a stroke or other disorders that may cause the symptoms.

• You will almost always have a head CT scan or brain MRI. A stroke will show changes on these tests, but TIAs will not.
• You will have an angiogram, CT angiogram, or MR angiogram to see which blood vessel is blocked or bleeding.
• You may have an echocardiogram if your doctor thinks you may have a blood clot from the heart.
• Carotid duplex (ultrasound) can show if the carotid arteries in your neck have narrowed.
• You may have EKG and heart rhythm monitoring tests to check for irregular heartbeat.

Your doctor may do other tests to check high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, and other causes of and risk factors for TIAs or stroke.