Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCausesSymptomsManagementPreventionPrognosis
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Causes
Symptoms
Management
Prevention
Prognosis
The main difference between a CVA (stroke) and aTIAis severity. Both conditions happen because of a reduction in oxygen to the brain, but a TIA is considered less serious than a stroke.
Also called a cerebrovascular accident or CVA, a stroke interrupts blood flow to an area of the brain for long enough tocause permanent damage.A TIA—also called a “mini-stroke” or transientischemicattack—is a temporary interruption in blood flow to an area of the brain that does not last long enough to cause permanent damage to the brain.
This article goes over the differences between a CVA and a TIA, the symptoms and causes of each, and how these conditions are managed and prevented. It also discusses the prognosis for someone who has had a CVA vs. someone who has had a TIA.
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What Causes CVAs and TIAs?
There are two different types of stroke or CVA:
A bleeding blood vessel can cause a hemorrhagic stroke, but because the damage of a hemorrhagic stroke is permanent, a bleeding blood vessel does not cause a TIA. However, a damaged blood vessel may cause a TIA before it bleeds.
A stroke usually causes abnormalities that can be easily visualized on a brain CT or a brain MRI.
Even though a TIA doesn’t cause permanent damage to the brain, the transient ischemic changes can sometimes be detected on a specific MRI sequence called diffusion-weighted imaging. However, some believe that such changes mean the event is a stroke rather than a TIA.
Risk Factors
The risk factors that lead to an ischemic stroke and a TIA are the same. They include:
TIA vs. CVA Symptoms
A CVA and a TIA can have the same symptoms, especially in the short term. This can make it hard to know if you are having a stroke or a TIA.
Short Term
The short-term effects of a stroke and a TIA can include any combination of the following:
Long Term
In the long term, a stroke can cause permanent disability that corresponds to the short-term effects.
Usually, the long-term effects of a stroke show some improvement over time. However, a stroke can also get larger or can cause swelling in the brain. This may cause long-term effects that are even more extensive than the short-term symptoms of the stroke.
A TIA, on the other hand, completely resolves and does not cause any long-term effects or handicaps.
Management of Stroke and TIA
If you have a stroke, you will need careful medical management as well as a thorough medical evaluation to see if you have any risk factors so that you can avoid having another stroke.
If you have had a TIA, you will also need to make sure you have a comprehensive medical evaluation to identify and manage any stroke risk factors, because a TIA is a strong predictor of stroke.
Some people with TIA and strokes may needsurgery.
It is also important to manage any health conditions you have that may be contributing to your risk.
Prognosis for Strokes and Mini-Strokes
A stroke may show some improvement or may get worse over time. A stroke is fatal for around 9% of those between the ages of 65 and 74. This number increases to 23% for people older than 85.Most stroke survivors have some disabilities and need physical therapy.
A TIA resolves completely, but often people who have a TIA go on to have recurrent TIAs, or they may have a stroke within minutes, days, or weeks of the initial TIA.
This happens because often the blood vessel interrupted during a TIA is abnormal, so it is prone to becoming interrupted again. Sometimes, after a TIA, a person may have a brain aneurysm rupture or a hemorrhagic stroke if the cause of the TIA was an interruption of blood flow in a blood vessel that later tears and bleeds.
Summary
CVA (stroke) and TIA (mini-stroke) are similar conditions, but a stroke causes damage to brain cells while a TIA does not. Both can happen when there is a blockage in the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain, but in a TIA the blockage does not last long enough to cause permanent damage.
CVA and TIA can both cause the same symptoms in the early stages. Stroke can cause long-term problems and permanent disability, while TIA does not. A TIA, however, can be a warning sign that you may have a stroke.
13 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Stroke.National Library of Medicine.Stroke.Abbott AL, Silvestrini M, Topakian R, et al.Optimizing the definitions of stroke, transient ischemic attack, and infarction for research and application in clinical practice.Front Neurol. 2017;8:537. doi:10.3389/fneur.2017.00537McGarry BL, Jokivarsi KT, Knight MJ, Grohn OHJ, Kauppinen RA.Magnetic resonance imaging protocol for stroke onset time estimation in permanent cerebral ischemia.J Vis Exp. 2017;2017(127):55277. doi:10.3791/55277Boehme AK, Esenwa C, Elkind MS.Stroke risk factors, genetics, and prevention.Circ Res. 2017;120(3):472–495. doi:10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.116.308398Correia M, Fonseca AC, Canhão P.Short-term outcome of patients with possible transient ischemic attacks: A prospective study.BMC Neurol. 2015;15:78. doi:10.1186/s12883-015-0333-1National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Stroke: Symptoms.Donkor ES.Stroke in the 21st century: A snapshot of the burden, epidemiology, and quality of life.Stroke Res Treat. 2018;2018:3238165. doi:10.1155/2018/3238165National Library of Medicine.Transient ischemic attack.Powers WJ, Rabinstein AA, Ackerson T, et al.2018 guidelines for the early management of patients with acute ischemic stroke: A guideline for healthcare professionals from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.Stroke. 2018;49(3):e46-e110. doi:10.1161/STR.0000000000000158Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Prevent stroke: What you can do.Schwartz J, Wang Y, Keshawarz A, Cormier N, Dykhoff H, McNamara RL.Claims-based and hybrid measures of 30-day mortality following acute ischemic stroke hospitalization incorporating risk adjustment for stroke severity: technical report.Yale New Haven Health Services Corporation. Center for Outcomes Research & Evaluation, New Haven (CT). 2015.Khare S.Risk factors of transient ischemic attack: An overview.J Midlife Health. 2016;7(1):2–7. doi:10.4103/0976-7800.179166Additional ReadingAdvances in stroke over the past decade, Silver B, Rhode Island Medical Journal.
13 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Stroke.National Library of Medicine.Stroke.Abbott AL, Silvestrini M, Topakian R, et al.Optimizing the definitions of stroke, transient ischemic attack, and infarction for research and application in clinical practice.Front Neurol. 2017;8:537. doi:10.3389/fneur.2017.00537McGarry BL, Jokivarsi KT, Knight MJ, Grohn OHJ, Kauppinen RA.Magnetic resonance imaging protocol for stroke onset time estimation in permanent cerebral ischemia.J Vis Exp. 2017;2017(127):55277. doi:10.3791/55277Boehme AK, Esenwa C, Elkind MS.Stroke risk factors, genetics, and prevention.Circ Res. 2017;120(3):472–495. doi:10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.116.308398Correia M, Fonseca AC, Canhão P.Short-term outcome of patients with possible transient ischemic attacks: A prospective study.BMC Neurol. 2015;15:78. doi:10.1186/s12883-015-0333-1National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Stroke: Symptoms.Donkor ES.Stroke in the 21st century: A snapshot of the burden, epidemiology, and quality of life.Stroke Res Treat. 2018;2018:3238165. doi:10.1155/2018/3238165National Library of Medicine.Transient ischemic attack.Powers WJ, Rabinstein AA, Ackerson T, et al.2018 guidelines for the early management of patients with acute ischemic stroke: A guideline for healthcare professionals from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.Stroke. 2018;49(3):e46-e110. doi:10.1161/STR.0000000000000158Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Prevent stroke: What you can do.Schwartz J, Wang Y, Keshawarz A, Cormier N, Dykhoff H, McNamara RL.Claims-based and hybrid measures of 30-day mortality following acute ischemic stroke hospitalization incorporating risk adjustment for stroke severity: technical report.Yale New Haven Health Services Corporation. Center for Outcomes Research & Evaluation, New Haven (CT). 2015.Khare S.Risk factors of transient ischemic attack: An overview.J Midlife Health. 2016;7(1):2–7. doi:10.4103/0976-7800.179166Additional ReadingAdvances in stroke over the past decade, Silver B, Rhode Island Medical Journal.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Stroke.National Library of Medicine.Stroke.Abbott AL, Silvestrini M, Topakian R, et al.Optimizing the definitions of stroke, transient ischemic attack, and infarction for research and application in clinical practice.Front Neurol. 2017;8:537. doi:10.3389/fneur.2017.00537McGarry BL, Jokivarsi KT, Knight MJ, Grohn OHJ, Kauppinen RA.Magnetic resonance imaging protocol for stroke onset time estimation in permanent cerebral ischemia.J Vis Exp. 2017;2017(127):55277. doi:10.3791/55277Boehme AK, Esenwa C, Elkind MS.Stroke risk factors, genetics, and prevention.Circ Res. 2017;120(3):472–495. doi:10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.116.308398Correia M, Fonseca AC, Canhão P.Short-term outcome of patients with possible transient ischemic attacks: A prospective study.BMC Neurol. 2015;15:78. doi:10.1186/s12883-015-0333-1National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Stroke: Symptoms.Donkor ES.Stroke in the 21st century: A snapshot of the burden, epidemiology, and quality of life.Stroke Res Treat. 2018;2018:3238165. doi:10.1155/2018/3238165National Library of Medicine.Transient ischemic attack.Powers WJ, Rabinstein AA, Ackerson T, et al.2018 guidelines for the early management of patients with acute ischemic stroke: A guideline for healthcare professionals from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.Stroke. 2018;49(3):e46-e110. doi:10.1161/STR.0000000000000158Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Prevent stroke: What you can do.Schwartz J, Wang Y, Keshawarz A, Cormier N, Dykhoff H, McNamara RL.Claims-based and hybrid measures of 30-day mortality following acute ischemic stroke hospitalization incorporating risk adjustment for stroke severity: technical report.Yale New Haven Health Services Corporation. Center for Outcomes Research & Evaluation, New Haven (CT). 2015.Khare S.Risk factors of transient ischemic attack: An overview.J Midlife Health. 2016;7(1):2–7. doi:10.4103/0976-7800.179166
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Stroke.
National Library of Medicine.Stroke.
Abbott AL, Silvestrini M, Topakian R, et al.Optimizing the definitions of stroke, transient ischemic attack, and infarction for research and application in clinical practice.Front Neurol. 2017;8:537. doi:10.3389/fneur.2017.00537
McGarry BL, Jokivarsi KT, Knight MJ, Grohn OHJ, Kauppinen RA.Magnetic resonance imaging protocol for stroke onset time estimation in permanent cerebral ischemia.J Vis Exp. 2017;2017(127):55277. doi:10.3791/55277
Boehme AK, Esenwa C, Elkind MS.Stroke risk factors, genetics, and prevention.Circ Res. 2017;120(3):472–495. doi:10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.116.308398
Correia M, Fonseca AC, Canhão P.Short-term outcome of patients with possible transient ischemic attacks: A prospective study.BMC Neurol. 2015;15:78. doi:10.1186/s12883-015-0333-1
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Stroke: Symptoms.
Donkor ES.Stroke in the 21st century: A snapshot of the burden, epidemiology, and quality of life.Stroke Res Treat. 2018;2018:3238165. doi:10.1155/2018/3238165
National Library of Medicine.Transient ischemic attack.
Powers WJ, Rabinstein AA, Ackerson T, et al.2018 guidelines for the early management of patients with acute ischemic stroke: A guideline for healthcare professionals from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.Stroke. 2018;49(3):e46-e110. doi:10.1161/STR.0000000000000158
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Prevent stroke: What you can do.
Schwartz J, Wang Y, Keshawarz A, Cormier N, Dykhoff H, McNamara RL.Claims-based and hybrid measures of 30-day mortality following acute ischemic stroke hospitalization incorporating risk adjustment for stroke severity: technical report.Yale New Haven Health Services Corporation. Center for Outcomes Research & Evaluation, New Haven (CT). 2015.
Khare S.Risk factors of transient ischemic attack: An overview.J Midlife Health. 2016;7(1):2–7. doi:10.4103/0976-7800.179166
Advances in stroke over the past decade, Silver B, Rhode Island Medical Journal.
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