Causes of a transient ischaemic attack (TIA)

During a TIA, 1 of the blood vessels that supply your brain with oxygen-rich blood becomes blocked.

This blockage is usually caused by a blood clot that's formed elsewhere in your body and travelled to the blood vessels supplying the brain, although it can also be caused by pieces of fatty material or air bubbles.

Certain things can increase your chances of having a TIA, including:

• smoking
• high blood pressure (hypertension)
• obesity
• high cholesterol levels
• regularly drinking an excessive amount of alcohol
• having a type of irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation
• having diabetes

People over 55 years of age and people of Asian, African or Caribbean descent are also at a higher risk of having a TIA.

This post is copied from the original post from https://www.nhs.uk/