Another great lecture in the Online Series! Dr. Pankaj Jalan from Norvic Hospital presented on the topic of “Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA)”.
Dr. Pankaj talked about the important topic of transient ischaemic attacks, a short episode of focal neurological deficit of the brain or retina caused by ischemia. Even though TIAs usually do not last longer than an hour the neurological damage caused by ischemia should not be underestimated. Rather than a benign condition TIAs should be considered small strokes. Dr. Pankaj highlighted that a TIA diagnosis should not be made lightly and that patients presenting with stroke symptoms should receive the correct stroke treatment rather than waiting for the symptoms to pass. He explained that 10-20% of patients experiencing TIAs will have a stroke within the next 90 days, 5% even within the next 48 hours. The ABCD2 calculator can be a helpful tool to assess the risk of stroke after a TIA. The most important goal is to prevent a more severe stroke by treating the TIA they present with, identifying the TIA cause and reducing risk factors.
Thank you, Dr. Pankaj, for a great lecture and to all participants, thank you for a lively discussion!