Stopping a Stroke

Strokes strike fast, rendering millions of American's partially paralyzed or with vision, memory and speech problems. Often, there are warning signs, called transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), when a blood clot temporarily blocks an artery to the brain.

Unfortunately, many people ignore TIA symptoms, such as numbness or weakness on one side of the body, slurred speech, confusion, dizziness, headache and difficulty walking. But catching a TIA can prevent a future stroke.

British researchers found that 17% of stroke patients who had a TIA had it on the day of the stroke, 9% on the previous day, and 43% in the week before. "This confirms that warning signs shouldn't be taken lightly," says neurologist Larry Goldstein of the American Heart Association. If you have these symptoms, call 911 right away; doctors will likely run tests and give you medication to help prevent stroke.