Madsen Comments to New York Times on Major Consequences of Ministrokes
Tracy Madsen, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of emergency medicine and vice chair of research at the Larner College of Medicine, commented to the New York Times for an article on the long-term dangers of transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), or “ministrokes.”
Ministrokes can eventually lead to cognitive declines as steep as those following a full-on stroke, new research finds. Because the symptoms disappear quickly, usually within minutes, people don’t seek immediate treatment, putting them at high risk for a bigger stroke. Unlike other urgent conditions, a TIA may not look dramatic or even be visible; patients themselves have to figure out how to respond. The findings reinforce longstanding concerns that people experiencing TIAs don’t respond quickly enough. “These events are serious, acute and dangerous,” experts say.
How to recognize a TIA? Madsen, an epidemiologist and emergency medicine specialist at the University of Vermont, promotes the BE FAST acronym: Balance loss, Eyesight changes, Facial drooping, Arm weakness, Speech problems, and Time—as in, don’t waste any!
“We know a lot more about how to prevent a stroke, as long as people get to a hospital,” said Dr. Madsen, vice chair of an American Heart Association committee that, in 2023, revised recommendations for TIAs.