Nearly half of the stroke risk following a TIA is incurred within the first two days, so immediate action may be necessary to prevent the impending stroke.
Clinical features
Accurate diagnosis of TIA usually depends entirely on the history. In most cases the symptoms and signs have already gone by the time the patient seeks medical help.
| TIA likely | TIA unlikely | |
| Types of symptom | Unilateral weakness or clumsiness Slurring of speech in clear consciousness (particularly if accompanied by a facial droop) Sudden loss of language (dysphasia) in clear consciousness |
Simultaneous bilateral weakness Confusion (but beware: jumbled speech could represent a TIA with dysphasia) Loss of memory Isolated vertigo (illusory sense of spinning or other motion) Faintness |
| Characteristics of these symptom | Abrupt focal loss of neurological function Complete recovery within 24 hours Known vascular risk factors |
Gradual onset Evolution of symptoms (e.g. spread from one body part to another or gradual change in the character of the symptoms) Prominent positive features (pain, stiffness, very prominent tingling or other dysaesthesia) |