Have YOU had a mini stroke but don't know it? The tell-take signs nobody should ignore - because next time, experts warn, it could prove fatal

It was a boiling hot summer’s day in June when Philip Dennis says he ‘took a funny turn’.

The pensioner, 70, was working in his Solihull garden when the sun suddenly seemed to appear hazy.

Philip remembers retreating into the garage for a screwdriver, and to escape the heat. ‘The next thing I can remember was being told to drink my cup of tea and eat a Mars bar, sitting in the conservatory,’ he says. ‘My wife had found me wandering around the garage, not knowing what I had been doing or what day it was.’

Within an hour or so, Philip felt almost back to normal. But, he couldn’t remember anything from the hour that had just passed.

‘I put it down to mild heatstroke – I had been a bit overconfident spending so long out in the sun without drinking enough water,’ the former freight industry worker says.

‘And the fact that afterwards I felt completely fine reassured me.’

But in the following days, Philip had the nagging thought that what happened could be something more serious.

‘My dad had a stroke in his late 50s and all his brothers died early of heart problems, so I thought checking it out with the doctor was the right thing to do,’ he says.

The GP gave him the all-clear after a quick examination, saying it was likely heatstroke. But in a precautionary MRI the week after, he was given distressing news.

The scan revealed a small lesion in his brain, indicating he’d had a transient ischemic attack (TIA), or mini stroke – a temporary blockage of blood flow to the brain.

And, more shockingly, doctors said there were signs he’d had one before without knowing it – as revealed by a small scar on one of his brain’s blood vessels.

Philip was dumbstruck, unable to remember ever having a similar episode before.

And experts warn that he is just one of thousands to unknowingly suffer a mini stroke – often with devastating consequences. Research shows that half of patients who experience a TIA simply shrug it off.

‘Because TIA symptoms, by definition, only last minutes to hours, many people either don’t recognise what’s happened or assume the problem has resolved, so they don’t seek help,’ says Dr Jennifer Crow, clinical specialist occupational therapist in strokes at Imperial College London.

‘But a mini stroke is not a benign event. It’s a warning shot. It means something is seriously wrong.

‘A TIA significantly increases the risk of a full stroke. And, as studies show, it can even cause lasting cognitive damage on its own. Yet there’s still a widespread problem with people not getting treatment.’

Unlike a stroke – where a prolonged blockage of blood supply to the brain can cause lasting damage – a TIA is, by nature, temporary. They affect about 46,000 people every year and are triggered by the same risk factors as a stroke: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity and smoking.

Both conditions have similar symptoms, including numbness or weakness on one side, difficulty speaking or understanding speech, dizziness and changes in vision. But while stroke symptoms persist, TIA ones resolve as blood flow resumes on its own.

Research shows patients often mistake their symptoms for other conditions – such as migraine or a trapped nerve. Or, the problems seem too vague to pinpoint – with over a third, like Philip, simply putting them down to a ‘funny turn’.

Last week, The Mail on Sunday’s GP columnist Dr Ellie Cannon wrote about them, asking readers if they had experienced a mini stroke without realising – and we were flooded with responses.

For dad-of-four Steve Thompson, 62, symptoms of his TIA lasted a few minutes – and didn’t resemble those typically associated with a stroke.

The Sheffield-based sales director was getting ready for work when, suddenly, he didn’t know where he was. He says: ‘I was totally confused. My wife of 40 years asked what the matter was – and I didn’t recognise her.’

After sitting down and taking deep breaths, he was soon able to answer simple questions about who and where he was.

He went on with his day – going to work, then the gym. But, to be safe, he visited his GP and was referred for tests, which revealed he had had a mini stroke.

‘I didn’t have a headache, numbness or tingling, any vision changes and wasn’t slurring my words,’ he says.

‘Now I say to all my friends and colleagues – if you ever feel strange or weird, even if you can’t quite put your finger on it, call the doctor. It probably saved my life.’

The acronym BE FAST (balance, eyes, face, arm, speech and time) helps people remember the signs of a stroke. It refers to common symptoms such as sudden loss of balance, vision changes, facial drooping, arm numbness and slurred speech, while highlighting the urgency of acting quickly.

But a mini stroke can be more subtle, with blurred vision, weakness instead of numbness in the arm, or sudden-onset dizziness (particularly when it comes with a headache) as well as confusion, says Dr Tim Chico, professor of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Sheffield.

Women also often report different mini stroke symptoms from men. According to the American Heart Association, they are more likely to get headache and other non-head-related pain, while men mostly report chest pain. Women are more likely to have nausea, loss of consciousness or confusion in a mini stroke.

‘The signs of stroke vary depending on which part of the brain the blockage occurs in,’ Dr Chico says. ‘There can be a wide range of symptoms with a TIA – which is why it’s so important for people to seek medical attention even if they’re not sure. It’s really dangerous to just sit it out, hoping it will get better. Always call 999.’

About one in three people who experience a TIA will go on to have a stroke – with the risk highest in the days and weeks immediately following one. In fact, nearly half of all strokes following a TIA occur within just two days.

Dr Dominic Paviour, consultant neurologist at the OneWelbeck clinic in London, says: ‘There’s clearly something happening in the body to cause the TIA. Whether it’s an irregular heartbeat or a fatty build-up in the brain’s blood vessels, unless addressed, it will likely lead to another event.’

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So, those who’ve had a TIA (usually diagnosed with an MRI or CT scan) need to have immediate preventative treatment.

Dr Paviour says: ‘The most important step is to start 300mg of aspirin as soon as possible. And, if cholesterol is high, a cholesterol-lowering drug.

‘Doctors will also address underlying risk factors – such as diabetes – and check for other conditions that increase clotting risk, including kidney disease or anaemia. They’ll advise on lifestyle changes to help lower the chance of a stroke, such as weight loss, quitting smoking and exercising more.’

But it’s not just full-blown strokes that concern patients who’ve had a TIA. Both raise the risk of dementia, according to Prof Chico.

‘When we examine someone with vascular dementia, we often find evidence of mini strokes or strokes,’ he explains. ‘They may not have caused obvious symptoms then, but cumulatively they increase the risk of dementia down the line.’

One tell-tale sign of a mini stroke is extreme tiredness for up to a year afterwards, Danish experts found, as the brain must work harder to complete tasks following one.

Even more concerning, over five years a University of Alabama study found participants’ performance in cognitive tests of memory, thinking and reasoning declined as steeply in TIA patients as in those who suffered a full stroke.

Dr Crow says she has seen many patients still suffering from cognitive issues months after a mini stroke.

‘The definition of a TIA is that symptoms are fully resolved within 24 hours – but there’s quite a lot of evidence now that people have ongoing effects from one. It could be changes in cognition but also in mood such as depression, anxiety, fatigue – things that can really impact your life, work and family. It all reinforces that TIAs need to be taken seriously.’

Dr Crow adds: ‘If people don’t understand what’s happened to them, and what could happen, they don’t know to change their lifestyle. This can be crucial, as being sedentary or obese can contribute to the risk of stroke and dementia.

‘Stroke or debilitating brain damage isn’t inevitable – so long as people know what they can do.’

Philip’s treatment was medication for high cholesterol and blood pressure, plus blood thinners. He’s not had another episode – though his wife has noticed he takes longer to recall names and places.

But he says he’ll be sure to get any future ‘funny turns’ checked out right away.

While primarily impacting older adults, who are more likely to have underlying risk factors, strokes and mini strokes are on the rise among young people.

A University of Oxford study found a 67 per cent increase in stroke incidence among people under 55 over the last two decades. Meanwhile, the rate of stroke in older adults decreased by 15 per cent in the same period.

Model Hailey Bieber, 28 – who is married to pop star Justin Bieber, 31 – has previously spoken out about her experience with TIA. She was hospitalised for a mini stroke in 2022, after a sharp shooting pain went down her arm while eating breakfast.

When asked by husband Justin if she was all right, Hailey found she was unable to reply.

‘I couldn’t speak. The right side of my face started drooping,’ she said in a YouTube video.

Rushed to hospital, she was diagnosed with a mini stroke caused by a small hole in her heart, which was closed with surgery.

Experts say factors such as increased rates of obesity, stress, unhealthy lifestyles and ultra-processed foods are all likely contributing to the spike in cases among young people.