Study: Aspirin after mini-stroke dramatically reduces chances of major stroke

A new study suggests that taking aspirin immediately following a mini-stroke significantly reduces a person's chances of suffering a major stroke.

Using data from around 56,000 individuals, the study researchers found that if aspirin is taken after a mini-stroke - also called a transient ischemic attack, or TIA - the risk of experiencing a disabling or fatal stroke over the coming days and weeks is reduced, in some cases, by as much as 80 percent.

Immediately following a mini-stroke, a person's risk of a major stroke is 1,000 times higher than that of the general population, the researchers noted.

Lead researcher Peter Rothwell, a professor and stroke expert at the University of Oxford in England, said: "Our findings confirm the effectiveness of urgent treatment after TIA and minor stroke, and show that aspirin is the most important component. Immediate treatment with aspirin can substantially reduce the risk and severity of early recurrent stroke."

He added that the findings have implications for doctors, who should give aspirin whenever a TIA or minor stroke is suspected.

Mini-strokes and major strokes often exhibit similar symptoms, which include:

• Numbness or muscle weakness that usually affects one side of the body


• Difficulty speaking or understanding speech


• Dizziness or loss of balance


• Double vision or difficulty seeing in one or both eyes

The study was published on May 18 in The Lancet.