Reported everywhere in the media“Warning signs of an ischemic stroke may be evident as early as seven days before an attack and require urgent treatment to prevent serious damage to the brain, according to a study of stroke patients published in the March 8, 2005 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.”

The signs of TIA are much the same as for a full-blown stroke–they simply resolve themselves quickly (within 24 hours). Here’s the list:

numbness, tingling, hyperesthesia (increased sensitivity), paralysis, localised weakness, dysarthria (difficult speech), aphasia (inability to speak), dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), diplopia (double vision), amaurosis fugax (temporary loss of vision in one eye) difficulty walking, incoordination, tremor, seizures, confusion, lethargy, dementia, delirium and coma.

Read more about TIA. It’s good to know that there are warning signs and that preventive treatment can work–since the incidence of stroke is likely to increase as baby boomers age.