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'Mini-Strokes' Linked To Long-Lasting Fatigue

By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on May 15, 2025.

THURSDAY, May 15, 2025 — A temporary “mini-stroke” can have a lasting effect on the victim’s life for as much as a year, a new study says.

Prolonged fatigue is common in people who’ve suffered a transient ischemic attack (TIA), researchers reported May 14 in the journal Neurology.

More than half of the people who suffered a TIA reported significant fatigue that lasted up to a year, the duration of the study, researchers said.

Transient ischemic attacks are referred to as “mini-strokes” because they involve a temporary blockage of blood flow to the brain that does not result in permanent brain damage, as does a full-fledged stroke, researchers said.

“People with a transient ischemic attack can have symptoms such as face drooping, arm weakness or slurred speech and these resolve within a day,” said senior researcher Dr. Boris Modrau, a clinical associate professor at Aalborg University Hospital in Denmark.

“However, some have reported continued challenges including reduced quality of life, thinking problems, depression, anxiety and fatigue,” Modrau said in a news release. “Our study found that for some people, fatigue was a common symptom that lasted up to one year after the transient ischemic attack.”

For the new study, researchers followed for a year 354 people with an average age of 70 who suffered a mini-stroke.

Patients completed questionnaires about their fatigue levels within the first two weeks of their TIA, and again three, six and 12 months later. Fatigue could include overall tiredness, physical tiredness, reduced activity, reduced motivation and mental fatigue.

About 61% of participants experienced fatigue two weeks after their mini-stroke, results showed.

Months later, 54% continued to experience fatigue, for up to a year after their TIA, researchers found.

“Long-term fatigue was common in our group of study participants, and we found if people experience fatigue within two weeks after leaving the hospital, it is likely they will continue to have fatigue for up to a year,” Modrau said.

Brain scans showed that lingering blood clots could not be the cause, as they were equally likely between patients with and without fatigue.

However, researchers found that anxiety or depression prior to a TIA was twice as common in those reporting lasting fatigue.

“For future studies, people diagnosed with a transient ischemic attack should be followed in the weeks and months that follow to be assessed for lingering fatigue,” Modrau said. “This could help us better understand who might struggle with fatigue long-term and require further care.”

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted May 2025

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