News

Risk of Heart Attack Doubles Following Mini Strokes

Patients who have suffered a "mini stroke" are at twice the risk of heart attack than the general population, according to research reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

These mini-strokes, called transient-ischemic attacks, or TIAs, occur when a blood clot temporarily blocks a blood vessel to the brain. Although the symptoms are similar to a stroke, a TIA is shorter - usually lasting only minutes or a few hours - and does not cause long-term disability. A TIA, also called a "warning stroke," signals a high risk of a subsequent, larger stroke.

In this study, the risk of heart attack among TIA patients was about 1 percent per year, double that of people who had never had a TIA. This increased risk persisted for years and was highest among patients under age 60, who were 15 times more likely than non-TIA patients to have a heart attack.

Factors that independently increased the risk of heart attack after TIA included:

• male gender;
• older age; and
• use of cholesterol-lowering medications (although patients using these drugs may have had more severe heart disease initially).

The study included 456 patients (average age 72, 43 percent men) diagnosed with a TIA between 1985 and 1994. Nearly two-thirds had high blood pressure, more than half smoked, and three-fourths were being treated with medication, such as aspirin, to prevent blood clots. Average follow-up was 10 years.

Co-authors are Joseph D. Burns, M.D.; Alejandro A. Rabinstein, M.D.; Veronique L. Roger, M.D., M.P.H.; Latha G. Stead, M.D.; Teresa J. H. Christianson, B.S.; and Jill M. Killian, B.S. Author disclosures are on the manuscript.

The Mayo Clinic funded the study. TIA and stroke warning signs are sudden:

• Numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, often on only one side of the body
• Confusion and trouble speaking or understanding others
• Difficulty seeing
• Trouble walking, feelings of dizziness and loss of balance or coordination
• Severe headache of unknown cause

If you have any of these signs, call 9-1-1 for immediate medical attention.

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ADVOCACY WORKS! $25 MILLION OF TITLE XX FUNDS FOR SENIOR CENTERS FULLY RESTORED!

Governor Cuomo and the Assembly and Senate in New York City have reached a budget agreement which includes a full restoration to senior centers, thanks to

Council of Senior Centers and Services of New York City/ 

The Council of Senior Centers and Services of New York City and its members worked together to prevent the closing of 105 senior centers.Their voices were heard throughout the city and Albany.

The importance and lesson of this victory is important for all of us who are seniors. If we don't fight for our rights and services, we won't have them. And it IS possible to win if we just keep trying. My mom always told me, "Where there is a will, there is a way."

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