Live Life Team
Causes
The causes are outlined below:
Disruption of blood supply to the brain due to blockage of the blood vessels which is further caused by narrowing (stenosis) of the arteries or blood clot formation. In a mini stroke the blood supply returns to normal in sometime (2 to 15 minutes) while in a full stroke, the blockage is for a much longer time. This affects the oxygen supply to the brain for long, hence causing brain cells to die and adversely affecting all the body parts related to the area of the brain that is impacted.
Atherosclerosis – this condition occurs when fats or plaque get deposited in the inner lining of blood vessels causing narrowing or stenosis of the vessels. This also causes hardening, thickening and inflexibility of blood vessels reducing the blood flow through them.
Blood Clots – these can also block the flow of blood through blood vessels. The causal factors for appearance of blood clots include heart ailments like atrial fibrillation (irregularity in heart rate) or congestive muscle disease of the heart (heart is not able to pump blood efficiently); Blood related ailments like sickle cell anaemia (genetic disorder of blood), leukaemia (blood cancer), hyperlipidaemia (high fat levels in blood), polycythaemia (abnormal thickening of blood), thrombocyaemia (excess production of platelets in blood) and infections like phlebitis which causes inflammation of walls of blood vessel leading to blood clotting in the vessels. Sometimes a blood clot can travel from another part of the body to one of the arteries providing blood to the brain, this is referred to as embolism.
Haemorrhage – in rare number of cases, TIA can be caused by bleeding in the brain, this is called haemorrhage.
Fixed or unchangeable risk factors which can raise chances of getting TIA are –
Age – risk goes up in older people esp over 60 years
Gender – men are at greater risk than women in their pre-menopause period. The risk for women goes up once they reach post-menopause period, mainly thought to be because of reduction in hormones like oestrogen and progesterone which makes the blood vessels less flexible and more hard.
Ethnicity – south asian and African people are prone to getting diabetes and hypertension, thus increasing their risk of getting stroke.
Genetics – a family history of stroke increases chances of getting TIA.
Lifestyle risk factors – these include
Hypertension – causing extra stress on blood vessels leading to blockages
Diet and weight – A diet rich in saturated fats and salts lead to conditions like atherosclerosis and hypertension which are major reasons for developing a TIA. Obesity also weakens the blood vessels by putting extra workload on the heart.
Smoking – smoking leads to thickening of linings of the arteries, largely increases chances of blood clots and hence TIA.
Medical problems or conditions like diabetes mellitus can also cause atherosclerosis thus increasing chances of TIA.
