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To diagnose transient global amnesia, your health care provider must first rule out more-serious conditions. Preventionīecause the cause of transient global amnesia is unknown and the rate of recurrence is low, there's no real way to prevent the condition. If you need reassurance, ask your doctor to go over the results of your neurological exam and diagnostic tests with you. It's possible to have a second episode of transient global amnesia, but it's extremely rare to have more than two.īut even temporary memory loss can cause emotional distress. It's not a risk factor for stroke or epilepsy. Transient global amnesia has no direct complications. If you have migraines, your risk of transient global amnesia is significantly higher than that of someone without migraines.
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People age 50 and older have a higher risk of transient global amnesia than do younger people. Your sex doesn't seem to affect your risk, either. This is probably because transient global amnesia doesn't represent blood vessel diseases of aging. Interestingly, many studies have found that high blood pressure and high cholesterol - which are closely linked to strokes - are not risk factors for transient global amnesia. Being emotionally upset, perhaps by bad news, conflict or overwork.Medical procedures, such as angiography or endoscopy.While the likelihood of transient global amnesia after these events is very low, some commonly reported events that may trigger it include: Another possible cause is the overfilling of veins with blood due to some sort of blockage or other problem with the flow of blood (venous congestion). But experts don't understand the factors that contribute to both conditions. There may be a link between transient global amnesia and a history of migraines. The underlying cause of transient global amnesia is unknown. But there's no easy way to tell the difference between transient global amnesia and the life-threatening illnesses that can also cause sudden memory loss. Transient global amnesia isn't dangerous. If the person experiencing memory loss is too confused to call an ambulance, call one yourself. Seek immediate medical attention for anyone who quickly goes from normal awareness of present reality to confusion about what just happened. No signs of seizures during the period of amnesiaĪnother common sign of transient global amnesia due to the inability to create new memories includes repetitive questioning, usually of the same question - for example, "What am I doing here?" or "How did we get here?" When to see a doctor.Symptoms lasting no more than 24 hours and generally shorter.More symptoms and history that may help diagnose transient global amnesia:
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