Conclusion
TIA is a common condition affecting up
to 46000 new patients each year in the
UK. It is strongly predictive of future
stroke, with the risk being greatest in the
first few days after the event. Despite the
increasing availability of specialist TIA
services and highly effective therapeutic
interventions, TIA remains underappreciated,
with patients and professionals
frequently failing to recognise symptoms
and treat them as an emergency. Further
public health initiatives are therefore
urgently needed to ensure that the symptoms
of TIA are widely known and that
TIA is recognised as a medical emergency.
Health professionals should be well
informed about TIA so that patients can
be rapidly directed to speciahst assessment
from dedicated services. TIA is not simply
'a funny turn' and its importance and
impact cannot be underestimated.