Patients who had mini-strokes have lower life expectancy than the general population according to a new Australian study.

Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) disorder may not cause permanent brain damage but the effects could be damaging in the long run. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and Australia's University of New South Wales have discovered that life expectancy among patients who have suffered from TIA or mini-strokes declined steadily every year. The study published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association, showed that TIA increased the risk of death of patients older than age 65.

Researchers tracked 22,157 adults who had been hospitalized with TIA between the years 2000 and 2007. The researchers then compared mortality rates among patients who had TIA's and those who didn't but who had the same age and sex. The results were alarming. At year one, 91.5 percent of the TIA patients were still alive as compared with the control group. After nine years, almost half of the patients who had suffered mini-strokes were dead, at least 20% more mortality risk than those in the general population.

Transient ischemic attacks are caused by a temporary cut in blood supply to the brain. Mini-strokes have the same symptoms as a stroke but they only last a few minutes and do not usually cause long-term brain damage. TIAs are also an important warning sign that a patient may also suffer from stroke in the future.

Symptoms of a stroke are a numb or weak feeling in the extremities, trouble speaking or understanding, unexplained dizziness, blurred or poor vision in one or both eyes, loss of balance or an unexplained fall. Other symptoms include headache, confusion or unconsciousness. People who have experienced these symptoms should seek medical help to determine if they had a stroke or a TIA.

Patients should take TIAs seriously. About half of TIA patients fail to report the episode to their doctors. What this study does is expose how grave mini-strokes are and that patients should immediately seek medical help after experiencing a TIA event. People who believe they have TIA should get a brain scan and get started on aspirin therapy and other medications to prevent blood clots. Other treatments would include addressing the patient's cholesterol and blood pressure levels.

"People experiencing a TIA won't die from it, but they will have a high risk of early stroke and also an increased risk of future problems that may reduce life expectancy... patients and doctors should be careful to intensely manage lifestyle," concluded Dr. Melina Gattellari, one of the authors of the study.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in Australia, accounting for 33% of all deaths in Australia in 2009. Cardiovascular disease kills one Australian every 11 minutes and affects more than 3.4 million Australians.