Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) - Prevention

Prevention

You can help prevent a transient ischemic attack (TIA) by controlling your risk factors for stroke.

• Have regular medical checkups. Work with your doctor to control high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease (especially atrial fibrillation), diabetes, and disorders that affect blood vessels and how your blood clots, such as polycythemia and sickle cell anemia.
• Quit smoking. Daily cigarette smoking can increase the risk of stroke by 2½ times.⁷ Regular exposure to secondhand smoke also increases your risk of stroke.²
• Check with your doctor about whether you should take an aspirin each day and medicine to lower your cholesterol, if you have been told that you have hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis). It has been shown that for people who have had a stroke, a TIA, or an endarterectomy, daily taking aspirin or other antiplatelet medicines, such as aspirin with extended-release dipyridamole, may help prevent another stroke.
• Ask your doctor about taking cholesterol-lowering medicines such as statins if you have high cholesterol or have had a heart attack.
• If you have had a prior TIA, taking blood pressure-lowering medicines may help prevent another TIA or stroke.⁸
• Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight increases your risk for high blood pressure, heart problems, and diabetes, which are risk factors for TIA and stroke.
• Eat a balanced diet that is low in cholesterol, saturated fats, and salt. Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. Fatty foods may make hardening of the arteries worse. For more information, see:

  Heart disease: Eating a heart-healthy diet.

• Get regular exercise, and reduce your stress. Do activities that raise your heart rate. Try to do moderate activity at least 2½ hours a week. One way to do this is to be active 30 minutes a day, at least 5 days a week.⁶
• Limit alcohol. If you drink alcohol, drink moderately. Moderate drinking is 2 drinks a day for men, and 1 drink a day for women. Excessive use of alcohol (more than 2 drinks a day) can raise your risk of stroke.
• Avoid taking birth control pills (oral contraceptives) if you have other risk factors for TIA or stroke, such as smoking, high cholesterol, or a history of blood clots. Talk to your doctor about other forms of birth control that do not increase your risk of TIA and stroke.
• Avoid getting sick from the flu. Get a flu shot every year.

Because atrial fibrillation increases your risk of stroke and because many people do not have symptoms of atrial fibrillation, the National Stroke Association recommends that everyone, particularly those age 55 or older, check his or her heartbeat once a month. To learn how to check your pulse, see taking your pulse. If you notice that your heartbeat does not have a regular rhythm, talk to your doctor.

If you are age 55 or older and have atrial fibrillation, you can use this tool to check your risk of stroke: Interactive Tool: Stroke Risk From Atrial Fibrillation.