Long-Term Incidence of Ischemic Stroke After Transient Ischemic Attack: A Nationwide Study From 2014 to 2020.

BACKGROUND

The short-term incidence of ischemic stroke after a transient ischemic attack (TIA) is high. However, data on the long-term incidence are not well known but are needed to guide preventive strategies.

METHODS

Patients with first-time TIA (index date) in the Danish Stroke Registry (January 2014-December 2020) were included and matched 1:4 with individuals from the background population and 1:1 with patients with a first-time ischemic stroke on the basis of age, sex, and calendar year. The incidences of ischemic stroke and mortality from index date were estimated by Aalen-Johansen and Kaplan-Meier estimators, respectively, and compared between groups using multivariable Cox regression.

RESULTS

We included 21 500 patients with TIA, 86 000 patients from the background population, and 21 500 patients with ischemic stroke (median age, 70.8 years [25th-75th percentile, 60.8-78.7]; 53.1% males). Patients with TIA had more comorbidities than the background population, yet less than the control stroke population. The 5-year incidence of ischemic stroke after TIA (6.1% [95% CI, 5.7-6.5]) was higher than the background population (1.5% [95% CI, 1.4-1.6],

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with first-time TIA had an ischemic stroke incidence of 6.1% during the 5-year follow-up period. After adjustment for relevant comorbidities, this incidence was approximately 5-fold higher than what was found for controls in the background population and 40% lower than for patients with recurrent ischemic stroke.