"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 study author Boris Modrau, MD, PhD, of Aalborg University Hospital in Denmark. "However, some have reported continued challenges including reduced quality of life, thinking problems, depression, anxiety and fatigue. Our study found that for some people, fatigue was a common symptom that lasted up to one year after the transient ischemic attack."

The study involved 354 people with an average age of 70 who had a mini-stroke. They were followed for a year.

Participants completed questionnaires about their level of fatigue within the first two weeks of the mini-stroke and again at three, six, and 12 months later.

One questionnaire looked at five different types of fatigue, including overall tiredness, physical tiredness, reduced activity, reduced motivation and mental fatigue. Scores ranged from four to 20 with higher scores indicating more fatigue. Participants had an average score of 12.3 at the start of the study. At three months, the average score decreased slightly to 11.9, at six months to 11.4 and at twelve months to 11.1.

Researchers looked at how many participants experienced fatigue as defined as a score of 12 or higher. Of the participants, 61% experienced fatigue two weeks after the mini-stroke and 54% experienced fatigue at each of the three other testing time periods at three, six and 12 months.

Participants also had brain scans. Researchers found that the presence of a blot clot on a scan was equal between people with long term fatigue and those without it, so this did not explain the reason for the level of fatigue.

Researchers did find that previous anxiety or depression was twice as common in those participants who reported lasting fatigue.

"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," said Modrau. "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. This could help us better understand who might struggle with fatigue long-term and require further care."

A limitation of the study was that while participants were asked to complete the questionnaires themselves, it is possible some responses may have been completed with assistance from relatives or caretakers and this may have influenced responses, including those around fatigue.

The study was supported by the Danish Physiotherapy Association.

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