Thousands risk strokes due to missing signs of TIA

New research has claimed thousands of older adults in the UK may be risking experiencing a stroke as they have missed the signs of a Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA), which is also known as mini-stroke.

A Stroke Association survey of over 2,000 members of the public revealed that two-thirds (68 per cent) of people did not recognise the symptoms of a TIA, while over a quarter (26 per cent) believed they were symptoms of a heart attack.

Although almost nine out of ten people (87 per cent) would be worried if they experienced the symptoms of a mini-stroke, nearly three quarters (74 per cent) of respondents would fail to take emergency action and go to hospital.

Professor Peter Rothwell, professor of clinical neurology at Oxford University and lead researcher of the project, said: "A TIA is an emergency and a significant proportion of people will go on to have a major stroke if they don’t seek urgent medical attention."

Data from the Stroke Association claims an estimated 150,000 people in the UK have a stroke every year.

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