Which statement best differentiates TIA from CVA?

Which statement best differentiates TIA from CVA?

• A. They are the same condition
• B. TIA is a brain event only; CVA is a heart event
• C. TIA is a transient episode with reduced brain blood flow; CVA is a stroke due to thrombus or embolus causing lack of oxygen to brain
• D. They affect different limbs only

Answer: (C)

The key idea is that TIAs are brief, reversible episodes from a temporary reduction in blood flow to the brain, while a CVA (stroke) is brain tissue injury caused by a blockage that lasts long enough to cause infarction. In a TIA, symptoms come and go as perfusion returns, so there’s no lasting brain damage. In a CVA, a thrombus or embolus blocks blood flow long enough to deprive brain tissue of oxygen, leading to permanent or prolonged deficits. That distinction—transient versus lasting brain injury due to the duration of ischemia—is what differentiates them. The wrong options misstate the nature of the conditions or imply it's a heart issue or that they affect limbs only, which isn’t accurate.

The key idea is that TIAs are brief, reversible episodes from a temporary reduction in blood flow to the brain, while a CVA (stroke) is brain tissue injury caused by a blockage that lasts long enough to cause infarction. In a TIA, symptoms come and go as perfusion returns, so there’s no lasting brain damage. In a CVA, a thrombus or embolus blocks blood flow long enough to deprive brain tissue of oxygen, leading to permanent or prolonged deficits. That distinction—transient versus lasting brain injury due to the duration of ischemia—is what differentiates them. The wrong options misstate the nature of the conditions or imply it's a heart issue or that they affect limbs only, which isn’t accurate.