New data from centers that aggressively treat short-term "mini-strokes" offer new evidence that quick action can cut the odds of a serious stroke in half.
The findings, reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, are more evidence of the benefits of sending someone to a hospital even if muscle weakness or slurred speech has only lasted for a few seconds, lead author Dr. Pierre Amarenco of Bichat Hospital in Paris told Reuters Health by phone.
That's because mini-strokes, also known as transient ischemic attacks or TIAs, are often the harbinger of a potentially-deadly stroke that can come within a matter of hours or days.
"You should worry about symptoms even if they last for just a few seconds or a few minutes," Amarenco said.
"The study showed that the widespread, systematic implementation of specialized TIA units across multiple sites, countries, and continents can make a difference in the care of these patients," write Drs. Ralph Sacco and Tatjana Rundek of the University of Miami in an accompanying editorial.
The ongoing study, which used previous stroke estimates for comparison, was based on data from 4,789 patients from TIAregistry.org, an international registry designed to follow cases for as long as five years.
It didn't include a comparison group, which would offer the best evidence, but it "helps build the evidence base for the importance of getting in for early treatment," said Dr. Donna Arnett, dean of public health at the University of Kentucky and past president of the American Heart Association.
Any kind of mini-stroke "should lead you to be evaluated," said Arnett, who was not involved in the study.
Research reported prior to 2004 had suggested that the stroke risk is 10 percent two days after mini-stroke symptoms appear and between 8 percent and 20 percent for the 30- to 90-day period after symptom onset.