Glendale Adventist Medical Center | Fall 2015

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TRANSIENT ISCHEMIC ATTACKS
THESE SMALL STROKES REQUIRE BIG ACTION
STROKE SYMPTOMS come on fast and demand fast
action. But what should you do if those symptoms fade
away as quickly as they occur?
Every year, some 240,000 people in the U.S. could ask
that question. That’s how many people have transient
ischemic attacks (TIAs)—episodes that often warn of
future strokes. How people respond to those warnings
could mean the difference between long, healthy lives
and long-term disability—or even death.
ALWAYS AN EMERGENCY “TIAs and strokes are alike in
that both involve blocked blood flow to the brain, often
because of a clot,” explains Ian Beaudoin Ross, MD, neu-
rological surgeon. “The difference is duration.”
A TIA may last only a few minutes before the body
breaks up the clot, restores the brain’s blood supply and
prevents serious injury to the brain.
With a stroke,
blood flow is inter-
rupted for much lon-
ger. Without a steady
supply of blood,
brain cells become
damaged or die.
The problem is
that there’s no way
to immediately know
whether a stroke or
TIA is taking place
S t r o k e
Be a partof our
“Best Nurses” team!
Check out GAMC’s nursing
career opportunities online.
(818) 409-8000
Healthcare at a Higher Level
Glendale Adventist Medical Center is proud to be voted
“Best Nurses” by Glendale News-Press readers! GAMC nurses have been the backbone
of our award-winning health care for 110 years and the embodiment of a mission to
promote healing and wellness for the whole person.
To learn more about GAMC, visit .
Glendale Adventist Medical Center
Nurses are the “BEST”!
because their symptoms are exactly the same. Both come
on suddenly and include:
● ● Numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg—
especially on one side of the body.
● ● Confusion.
● ● Trouble speaking or understanding speech.
● ● Trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
● ● Trouble walking. This may include dizziness or loss of
balance or coordination.
● ● Severe headache with no known cause.
And, since fast treatment is the best way to limit a
stroke’s impact, it’s dangerous to take a wait-and-see
approach and hope that symptoms resolve themselves.
That’s one reason why doctors recommend that anyone
with TIA or stroke symptoms call 911 and get emergency
medical help right away. Another reason: A TIA can signal
that a full-blown stroke is just waiting to happen. In fact,
up to 40 percent of people who have a TIA go on to have
such a stroke—often within the first 48 hours. Getting
treatment after a TIA can reduce that risk.
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS Treatment for a TIA often in-
cludes lifestyle changes such as eating a healthy diet,
getting regular exercise and quitting smoking.
“Medicine may also be needed to control blood pres-
sure; cholesterol; and any underlying health problems,
such as diabetes or heart trouble,” Dr. Ross says.
In addition, some people may need to take aspirin
or other drugs to limit blood-clot formation that could
lead to a stroke or another TIA.
For a referral to a Glendale Adventist Medical
Center neurological surgeon, call (818) 409-8100.
Sources: American Stroke Association; National Institutes of Health; National
Stroke Association; Ian Beaudoin Ross, MD
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