What Increases Your Risk

The risk factors for a transient ischemic attack (TIA) are the same as those for a stroke.

Risk factors you can change

Risk factors for TIA that you can change are:

• High blood pressure.
• Smoking and regular exposure to secondhand smoke, which are strong risk factors for stroke, TIA, and heart attack.²
• High cholesterol.
• High triglycerides.³
• Excessive use of alcohol.
• Use of birth control pills, especially in women who smoke or have a history of blood clots.
• Lack of exercise.
• Use of cocaine.

Risk factors you cannot change

Risk factors for TIA that you cannot change are:

• Age: Most TIAs happen after the age of 60.
• Family history: People with a family history of TIA or stroke are at higher risk.
• Prior history of TIA: People who have had a TIA are more likely to have another TIA or a stroke.

Diseases that increase the risk for TIA

Your risk for TIA increases if you have diseases such as:

• High blood pressure.
• Diabetes.
• Hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis), especially of the carotid arteries.
• Atrial fibrillation and certain other heart conditions, such as coronary artery disease, heart failure, or heart valve disorders.
• Conditions that cause blood cells to stick together and form clots, such as having too many red blood cells (polycythemia), abnormal clotting factors, or abnormally shaped red blood cells, such as those caused by sickle cell disease.