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Trouble speaking? Arm tingling? Act fast. It could be a mini stroke. The impact is lasting

Doing nothing if you have a mini stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) puts you at risk of a bigger one later on, and of having dementia

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A mini stroke may not produce symptoms as dramatic as a full stroke, but the long-term effects can be equally serious, according to a recent study. Photo: Shutterstock

Kristin Kramer woke up early one morning 10 years ago because one of her dogs needed to go out. Then a couple of odd things happened.

When she tried to call her other dog, “I couldn’t speak”, she said. As she walked downstairs to let them into the yard, “I noticed that my right hand wasn’t working”.

She went back to bed, “which was totally stupid”, said Kramer, now 54 and an office manager in the US state of Indiana.

“It didn’t register that something major was happening,” especially because, reawakening an hour later, “I was perfectly fine”.

Even after having trouble calling her dog, and feeling numbness in her hand, Kristin Kramer did not realise she was having a mini stroke – and did not seek immediate help. Photo: Shutterstock
Even after having trouble calling her dog, and feeling numbness in her hand, Kristin Kramer did not realise she was having a mini stroke – and did not seek immediate help. Photo: Shutterstock
The rate of cognitive decline over time from a mini stroke is the same as for a full-on stroke, says Victor Del Bene, a neuropsychologist from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Photo: University of Alabama at Birmingham
The rate of cognitive decline over time from a mini stroke is the same as for a full-on stroke, says Victor Del Bene, a neuropsychologist from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Photo: University of Alabama at Birmingham

So she “just kind of blew it off” and went to work.

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