A TIA or a mini stroke usually doesn't last very long but the effects can be serious.

David Jennings has seen first hand how people are affected by a TIA; his father-in-law has them frequently. "We wouldn't really know that he had a TIA, what he would do he would act different. Half of his body or part of his body, mostly his walking or a lot of times his speech it would just be different."

Cardiologist Vladimir Ilic explains that TIA's occur when the blood supply to part of the brain is interrupted. They are often warning signs that a person is at risk for a more serious and debilitating stroke. "If you start to have symptoms like that you shouldn't wait to see what's going to happen, you should seek attention."

Dr. Ilic says that TIA's occur when the blood supply to part of the brain is interrupted. They are often warning signs that a person is at risk for a more serious and debilitating stroke. "TIA in many cases could be actually beginning of a stroke to happen days or weeks after that, so it's very important symptoms for us."

Dr. Ilic also says that factors that can increase your risk of a TIA and stroke are high blood pressure, cigarette smoking, heart disease, carotid artery disease, diabetes, and heavy use of alcohol. "Even if a TIA was very minimal lasting seconds or minutes, patients should not disregard the symptoms."

Because there is no way of telling whether symptoms are from a TIA or an acute stroke, patients should assume that all stroke-like symptoms signal an emergency and should seek medical attention immediately.

About one-third of those who have a TIA will have an acute stroke some time in the future. Heeding the warning signs of a TIA and treating underlying risk factors can prevent many strokes from happening.