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Transient ischemic attacks: clinical features, pathophysiology and management.

A transient ischemic attack (TIA) is a symptom of underlying vascular disease that requires prompt, accurate diagnosis to prevent its possible complications of stroke, myocardial infarction or death. This article presents the clinical features, pathophysiology, clinical course and management of TIAs. Study of the pathophysiology includes a review of normal physiology of the cerebral vascular system, as well as age-related physiologic changes that put the elderly at increased risk for TIAs. The management plan presented includes reduction of risk factors, patient education, physician referral, and medical and/or surgical treatment. Controversies over medical and surgical treatment are briefly examined.

Humans↗

Transient ischemic attack: awareness and prevalence in the community.

Transient ischemic attack (TIA) is the most powerful predictor of stroke. Estimates of its prevalence in various regions of the world differ depending upon the instruments and exclusion criteria used and the population surveyed. For example, if the questioner uses technical language, or if he or she excludes events lasting but a few seconds and symptoms such as dizziness (without accompanying phenomena), numbness and tingling, and transitory amnesia (euphemistically called forgetfulness), an entirely different prevalence results than if these events and symptoms are included. In a survey of people aged 45 to 64, cross-sectional data were ascertained by means of a standardized TIA/stroke questionnaire and an algorithm. For women the prevalence of TIA-like events was 5% and fr men, 3%, increasing with age for both sexes. These events were more prevalent in African-Americans than Caucasians. The most frequent symptoms were change in speech, followed by dizziness and loss of balance.

Black People↗

The need for emergency treatment of transient ischemic attack and minor stroke.

The risk of recurrent stroke following transient ischemic attack or minor stroke has recently been shown to be 5-10% at 1 week and 10-20% at 3 months, depending on study population and methods. This is considerably higher than previously estimated and current clinical guidelines reflect the need for rapid assessment although a wide variation in practice exists. Effective management of patients with transient ischemic attack or minor stroke, therefore, requires identification of individuals at the highest (and lowest) risk and initiation of appropriate secondary prevention. Risk can be stratified at initial presentation by the presence or absence of simple clinical features and following subsequent investigation. For transient ischemic attack patients, older age, diabetes, longer duration of symptoms and weakness or speech disturbance identify patients at highest risk, as does the presence of large artery atherosclerosis (mainly internal carotid artery stenosis) and lesions on diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. Strong evidence exists for the benefit of some early interventions (carotid endarterectomy and antiplatelet agents), but is circumstantial or awaited for others (statins and antihypertensives). In order for the public health challenge posed by transient ischemic attack and minor stroke to be met, considerable change is required in both public education (to ensure correct recognition of symptoms and swift presentation to medical attention) and the provision of clinical services to ensure the timely initiation of effective treatment.

Cerebral Angiography↗

[Usefulness of diffusion-weighted MRI in the diagnosis of transient ischemic attacks].

Diffusion-weighted imaging(DWI) has been demonstrated to be valuable for assessment of ischemic stroke patients. The aim of this study is to evaluate clinical usefulness of DWI in the diagnosis of transient ischemic attack(TIA). Nineteen patients with symptoms of TIA were studied. DWI was taken with 1.5 Tesla MRI system using spin echo EPI sequence. Seven patients revealed areas of hyperintensity (brightness) on DWI and of hypointensity on apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC) maps relative to normal brain. As the duration of TIA symptom elongated, the percentage of patients with DWI abnormalities became higher. DWI enabled to detect areas of hyperintense lesion in all three patients as early as 3 hours after the onset, while conventional T2 weighted imaging showed in one. All the DWI abnormalities were irreversible in spite of the complete recovery from TIA. DWI is an useful technique for the detection of responsible lesions in TIA. However, TIA cannot be ruled out even if DWI does not demonstrate any abnormal signals.

Aged↗

Mortality and cause of death after hospital discharge in 10,981 patients with ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to examine the 1-year cumulative mortality rate and cause of death, and to identify the predictive factors for death after hospital discharge following ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) using data from the Japan Multicenter Stroke Investigators' Collaboration study. METHODS: We prospectively registered 16,922 consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke or TIA from May 1999 to April 2000 in 156 Japanese hospitals. We mailed a questionnaire to the 15,322 patients who were alive at hospital discharge. RESULTS: 10,981 patients (6,945 men, 4,036 women, age 70 +/- 11 years, median 71, range 19-100 years) were enrolled in the follow-up study. The mean follow-up period was 271 +/- 110 days (median 272 days; range 1-487 days). The 1-year cumulative mortality was 6.8% (7.0% for 10,234 stroke patients and 3.5% for 747 TIA patients). The causes of death were: cerebrovascular disease, 24.1%; pneumonia, 22.6%; heart disease, 18.1%; cancer, 11.0%, and miscellaneous causes, 24.1%. Multivariate analysis suggested that male gender, age, diabetes mellitus, atrial fibrillation, history of stroke, nonlacunar stroke, functional disability and transfer to another hospital or nursing home on discharge were significant independent predictors of death during the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: The major causes of death after hospital discharge were found to be cerebrovascular diseases, pneumonia and heart diseases. Thus, in order to improve survival after hospital discharge, in addition to appropriate management of vascular risk factors following stroke, it appears to be important to take measures to prevent pneumonia and to discharge patients to their own home, if possible.

Age Distribution↗

Impact of carotid endarterectomy on medical secondary prevention after a stroke or a transient ischemic attack: results from the Reduction of Atherothrombosis for Continued Health (REACH) registry.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Whether a history of carotid endarterectomy influences patient compliance with medical treatments and physician attitude toward treatments after ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) is not well known. METHODS: We studied the baseline data of 18,467 ischemic stroke and TIA patients from the international REduction of Atherothrombosis for Continued Health (REACH) Registry and investigated the impact of a history of endarterectomy on the secondary medical prevention measured by the use of antiplatelet agents and statins, and by the control of cholesterol level, glucose level, and blood pressure. RESULTS: Among the patients with a history of ischemic stroke or TIA, those with a history of endarterectomy (n=1474) were more likely to receive antiplatelet agents and statins, to have a blood pressure <140/90 mm Hg, and a fasting total cholesterol <200 mg/dL. In diabetic patients, endarterectomy was associated with lower fasting blood glucose levels. In multivariate logistic regression analyses, endarterectomy was significantly associated with the use of antiplatelet agents (odds ratio [OR], 1.6; 95% CI, 1.3 to 1.9; P<0.0001) and statins (OR, 1.8; 1.6 to 2.0; P<0.0001), and with a cholesterol level <200 mg/dL (OR, 1.3; 1.2 to 1.5; P<0.0001). By contrast, the associations with blood pressure and blood glucose levels were no longer significant. There was no heterogeneity across the world regions or among the specialists who enrolled the patients. CONCLUSIONS: Carotid endarterectomy is associated with a higher use of antiplatelet agents and statins in stroke/TIA patients. The absence of such an association with blood pressure and blood glucose control suggests that the individual determinants of the quality of the secondary medical prevention vary from one risk factor to another and from one class of drugs to another.

Aged↗

[Migraine or transient ischemic attacks in a patient with essential thrombocythaemia. Treatment with ticlopidine (author's transl)].

Ischemic cerebrovascular symptoms occuring in patients with essential thrombocythaemia are usually attributed to platelet or platelet-fibrin emboli. A patient is described in whom transient ischemic attacks (TIA) had some features - namely the presence of headache and the progressive onset of symptoms - unusual for an embolic phenomenon but suggestive of a migrainous event. No further attack occured when the patient was treated by an antiplatelet drug ticlopidine, though platelet count was unchanged. The relationship between platelets, TIA and migraine are discussed.

Blood Platelets↗

[Bettolepsy as a variant of transient ischemic attacks].

Bettolepsy (B) refers to episodes of fainting of abrupt onset in patients with nonspecific pulmonary diseases, occurring at the paroxysm of coughing. The authors conducted a comprehensive evaluation in 12 patients liable to B attacks, that incorporated study of the state of the vegetative nervous system, EEG, REG, ultrasonic dopplerography of major vessels of the brain, computerized tomography to the brain, echocardioscopy, roentgenography of the spinal column. The data obtained allow B episodes to be regarded as an acute disturbance in cerebral bloodflow in vascular beds of the vertebrobasilar system of transient ischemic attacks type, which fact leads to derangement in the ascending impacts of the reticular formation, and is a syncopal state.

Adolescent↗

[Transient ischemic attack in amyloid angiopathy].

Two cases of cerebral amyloid angiopathy with transient ischemic attacks are reported. Both patients died of cerebral hemorrhage. Transient ischemic attacks seem to having been due to the cerebral angiopathy a disease in which small infarcts are frequently mentioned at post-mortem examination. However only 6 other cases of transient ischemic attacks with cerebral amyloid angiopathy have yet been reported.

Aged↗

Fibrinogen concentration and risk of ischemic stroke and acute coronary events in 5113 patients with transient ischemic attack and minor ischemic stroke.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Fibrinogen is an independent risk factor for coronary events in population-based studies and in patients with coronary heart disease, but there is uncertainty about prediction of stroke, particularly in secondary prevention. METHODS: We studied unpublished data from 3 prospective studies of patients with recent transient ischemic attack (TIA) or minor ischemic stroke: the United Kingdom TIA Aspirin (UK-TIA) trial (n=1860); the Dutch TIA trial (n=2960); and the Oxford TIA Study (n=293). By separate and pooled analysis, we used Cox models to determine the relationship between fibrinogen and risk of ischemic stroke and other vascular events during 23,272 patient-years of follow-up and adjusted for other risk factors. RESULTS: There was no significant heterogeneity in fibrinogen risk associations between studies. Fibrinogen predicted subsequent ischemic stroke, with a pooled hazard ratio (HR) for values above the median of 1.34 (95% CI, 1.13 to 1.60; P=0.001). The association tended to be stronger in patients with nonlacunar (HR=1.42; 95% CI, 1.13 to 1.78; P=0.002) than lacunar syndromes (HR=1.09; 95% CI, 0.80 to 1.49; P=0.58), but was not significantly so (P=0.18). There was no association with hemorrhagic stroke (adjusted HR=1.09; 95% CI, 0.55 to 2.17; P=0.81). Fibrinogen predicted acute coronary events (adjusted HR=1.42; 95% CI, 1.18 to 1.70; P<0.001) and all ischemic vascular events (adjusted HR=1.31; 95% CI, 1.15 to 1.49; P<0.001), but not nonvascular death (adjusted HR=1.24; 95% CI, 0.90 to 1.70; P=0.19). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with a previous TIA or ischemic stroke, risks of recurrent ischemic stroke and acute coronary events increase linearly with fibrinogen levels, but the relationships are weaker than in some previous population-based studies.

Aged↗

Impaired glucose tolerance increases stroke risk in nondiabetic patients with transient ischemic attack or minor ischemic stroke.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Impaired glucose tolerance, an intermediate metabolic state between normal glucose and diabetes characterized by nonfasting glucose levels between 7.8 to 11.0 mmol/L, is associated with an increased stroke risk in patients with coronary heart disease. Whether impaired glucose tolerance increases the risk of stroke in patients with transient ischemic attack (TIA) or minor ischemic stroke is unknown. METHODS: In total, 3127 patients with a TIA or minor ischemic stroke participated in the Dutch TIA Trial, testing 2 different doses of aspirin and atenolol versus placebo. We estimated the risk of stroke and the risk of myocardial infarction or cardiac death in relation to baseline nonfasting glucose levels (mean 6.0, SD 2.2 mmol/L) with Cox proportional hazards regression analysis, adjusted for cardiovascular risk factors. RESULTS: During 2.6 years follow-up, 272 patients (9%) experienced a stroke and 200 (6%) a myocardial infarction or cardiac death. We found a J-shaped relationship between baseline nonfasting glucose levels and stroke risk. Stroke risk was nearly doubled in patients with impaired glucose tolerance (glucose 7.8 to 11.0 mmol/L) compared with those with normal glucose levels (hazard ratio [HR] 1.8, 95% CI, 1.1 to 3.0) and nearly tripled in diabetic patients (glucose > or =11.1 mmol/L; HR 2.8, 95% CI, 1.9 to 4.1). Patients with low glucose levels (<4.6 mmol/L) had a 50% increased stroke risk (HR 1.5, 95% CI, 1.0 to 2.2) compared with those with normal glucose levels. There was no association between glucose levels and risk of myocardial infarction or cardiac death. CONCLUSIONS: Impaired glucose tolerance is an independent risk factor for future stroke in nondiabetic patients with TIA or minor ischemic stroke.

Aged↗

'Footprints' of transient ischemic attacks: a diffusion-weighted MRI study.

OBJECTIVE: Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) conveys temporal as well as anatomic information about brain infarction, and is therefore well suited to identify ischemic injury that has occurred simultaneously, or closely linked in time, with a transient ischemic attack (TIA). We aimed to determine the proportion and clinical characteristics of patients with TIA who harbor infarction(s) on DWI. METHODS: Using T(2)-weighted imaging (T(2)-WI), fast fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR), and DWI, we studied 57 consecutive patients presenting with acute focal neurologic symptoms lasting less than 24 h. RESULTS: A hyperintense DWI lesion was identified in a vascular territory appropriate to the symptoms in 27 patients (47%). Lesions judged to be clinically appropriate on T(2)-WI and FLAIR overlapped with a DWI lesion in 41 and 48% of patients, respectively. Independent predictors of infarction on DWI were previous nonstereotypic TIAs, presentation with motor symptoms, and identified stroke mechanism. CONCLUSION: DWI establishes that recent infarction occurs in almost half of patients with the clinical syndrome of TIA and this subgroup is more likely to harbor an underlying cardiac or cerebrovascular abnormality.

Aged↗

Cerebral microhemorrhages predict new disabling or fatal strokes in patients with acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Cerebral microhemorrhages (MHs) are common among patients presenting with acute ischemic stroke and may predict both subsequent ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes. METHODS: We prospectively studied patients with and without MHs presenting within 12 hours of their ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). A magnetic resonance (MR) scan was performed within 24 hours of symptom(s) onset. The primary outcome was disabling or fatal stroke at 18 months. RESULTS: An MR scan was done in 236 patients with acute ischemic stroke or TIA. Forty-five (19.1%) patients had an MH on a baseline MR scan. Patients with MHs were 2.8x (10.8% versus 4.0%; P=0.036) more likely to have a subsequent disabling or fatal stroke than patients without an MH. The risk of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage was not statistically significant among MH and non-MH patients (3.3% versus 0.8%; P=0.31). CONCLUSIONS: The presence of cerebral MH(s) in patients with acute ischemic stroke or TIA predicts recurrent disabling and fatal strokes. This risk is mainly assumed by recurrent ischemic strokes.

Age Factors↗

Dynamic changes of plasma lipids and lipoproteins in patients after transient ischemic attack or minor stroke.

PURPOSE: Only few data are available concerning variations of lipids and lipoproteins in the acute stage after ischemic cerebrovascular events. It was the aim of this study to investigate whether the lipid and lipoprotein levels obtained in the first few days after a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or a minor stroke (MS) actually reflect "correct' values or "changed' (ie, false low) values, as in patients after acute myocardial infarction. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Total cholesterol (TC), HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglyceride (TG) levels of 37 unselected patients with TIA or MS were determined within 12-48 hours (Group A) or within 49-168 hours (Group B) after the acute event. After a mean observation period of 15.3 months, all patients were re-examined; the results were compared with those of the baseline evaluation. RESULTS: At the time of the baseline evaluation, TC and LDL-C levels of Group B patients were significantly lower than Group A levels. At the end of the observation period, however, Group A and Group B patients did not differ with regard to all four parameters. In comparison with the baseline examination, the values of Group A patients had not changed. In Group B patients, however, TC, HDL-C, LDL-C, and TG levels had significantly increased. CONCLUSION: Our results strongly suggest that lipid and lipoprotein levels of patients with TIA or MS should be assessed within a maximum of 48 hours after the acute event. If the examination cannot be performed within that period, the determination of reliable values is possible only after several weeks or months.

Adult↗

Does psychological distress predict the risk of ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack? The Caerphilly Study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Psychological distress is common after stroke, but little is known about its etiologic importance, although the general public often ascribes stroke to the experience of stress. Therefore, we examined whether psychological distress leads to an increased risk of ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA). METHODS: The association between the 30-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), a measure of psychological distress, and the incidence of nonfatal and fatal ischemic stroke and TIA was measured by Cox regression modeling in a prospective observational study of 2201 men aged 45 to 59 years in phase II of the Caerphilly cohort. Hazard ratios comparing those with high (> or = 5) and normal GHQ scores were calculated with adjustment for age and other covariates. RESULTS: Twenty-two percent of men suffered from psychological distress, indicated by a score of > or =5 on the GHQ. There were 130 incident strokes recorded, of which 17 were fatal and 113 nonfatal. The relative risk of incident ischemic stroke was 1.45 (95% CI, 0.98 to 2.14) for those who showed symptoms of psychological distress compared with those who did not. For fatal stroke the relative risk was 3.36 (95% CI, 1.29 to 8.71) and for nonfatal stroke 1.25 (95% CI, 0.82 to 1.92). The relative risk of TIA for the distressed group was 0.63 (95% CI, 0.26 to 1.53). The results were unchanged after adjustment for body mass index, systolic blood pressure, smoking, heavy drinking, social class, and marital status. However, additionally controlling for previously diagnosed ischemic heart disease, diabetes, respiratory disease, and retirement due to ill health attenuated the relative risks, but not markedly. For fatal strokes the relative risk decreased to 2.56 (95% CI, 0.97 to 6.75) when all confounding variables were included in the model. There was a graded association between degree of psychological distress and risk of fatal ischemic stroke. CONCLUSIONS: Psychological distress is a predictor of fatal ischemic stroke but not of nonfatal ischemic stroke or TIA. Further work examining the mechanisms of this association is required.

Brain Ischemia↗

Risk of myocardial infarction and vascular death after transient ischemic attack and ischemic stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Whether stroke patients should be investigated for asymptomatic coronary artery disease remains matter of debate. Absolute risks of myocardial infarction (MI) and vascular death after a stroke have not been accurately assessed. We performed a systematic review and a meta-analysis to determine the risk of MI and nonstroke vascular death after transient ischemic attack (TIA) and ischemic stroke. Cohort studies of TIA or ischemic stroke patients were included if they were published between 1980 and March 2005, reported risk of MI and nonstroke vascular death, enrolled >100 patients, and had at least 1 year of follow-up. We included 39 studies in a total of 65,996 patients with mean follow-up of 3.5 years. Two reviewers independently carried out data extraction using a standardized form. Absolute annual risks were estimated through weighted meta-regressions with a random effect. To test the predictions of expected event rates derived from our analysis, we used individual patient data. SUMMARY OF REVIEW: The annual risks were 2.1% (CI 95%: 1.9 to 2.4) for nonstroke vascular death, 2.2% (1.7 to 2.7) for total MI, 0.9% (0.7 to 1.2) for nonfatal MI and 1.1% (0.8 to 1.5) for fatal MI. The time course of risk was linear. Estimated risks fitted well with observed risks at the individual level. There was no heterogeneity in the absolute risks according to baseline study characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with TIA or stroke have a relatively high risk of MI and nonstroke vascular death. Additional research is needed to identify the determinants of coronary artery disease in stroke patients.

Aged↗

Analysis of 16,922 patients with acute ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack in Japan. A hospital-based prospective registration study.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the present study was to clarify the present status of stroke medicine in Japan using a hospital-based, prospective registration study of 156 hospitals from all over Japan. METHODS: Consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) who presented to hospital within 7 days of onset from May 1999 to April 2000 were enrolled in this study. A common protocol was applied in every participating hospital. RESULTS: A total of 16,922 patients (TIA, 6.4%) with a mean age of 70.6 +/- 11.5 years (median 71 years, range 18-107 years) were enrolled in the study. Lacunar stroke was the most frequent stroke subtype (38.8%), followed by atherothrombotic (33.3%), cardioembolic (21.8%) and other stroke (6.1%). NIH stroke scale score on admission was 8.0 +/- 7.9 (median 5; 25th to 75th percentile, 2-11). 36.8% arrived at hospital within 3 h of symptom onset, and 49.5% within 6 h. The ambulance was used for 70.2% of patients arriving within 3 h after onset, but in only 29.9% of patients visiting the hospital later than 3 h after onset (p < 0.0001). 60.8% displayed good outcome (modified Rankin Scale score of 0-2 at discharge), while 32.3% displayed poor outcome (score 3-5), and mortality rate was 6.9%. CONCLUSIONS: More than half of the acute stroke patients arrived at hospital later than 6 h after onset. Establishment of ideal emergency systems is needed for better management of stroke and for improvement of patient outcome, in particular, in the future after approval of intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator for acute ischemic stroke by the Japanese government.

Adult↗

Outcomes among valvular heart disease patients experiencing ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack in Olmsted County, Minnesota.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the rates and predictors of survival and recurrence among residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota, who received an Initial diagnosis based on 2-dimensional color Doppler echocardiography of moderate or severe mitral or aortic stenosis or regurgitation and who experienced a first ischemic stroke, transient ischemic attack (TIA), or amaurosis fugax. PATIENTS AND METHODS: At the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn, we used the resources of the Rochester Epidemiology Project to identify Individuals who met the criteria for inclusion in the study and to verify exclusion criteria. The study included all residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota, who experienced a first Ischemic stroke, TIA, or amaurosis fugax within 30 days of or subsequent to receiving a first-time 2-dimensional color Doppler echocardlography-based diagnosis of moderate or severe mitral or aortic stenosis or regurgitation between January 1, 1985, and December 31, 1992. The Kaplan-Meier product-limit method was used to estimate the rates of subsequent stroke and death after the ischemic stroke, TIA, or amaurosis fugax. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to assess the effect of several potential risk factors on subsequent stroke occurrence and death. RESULTS: For the 125 patients in the study, the Kaplan-Meier estimates of the risk of death and the risk of stroke at 2-year follow-up were 38.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 29.9%-47.5%) and 18.5% (95% CI, 10.0%-27.0%), respectively. Compared with the general population, death rates were significantly Increased (standardized mortality ratio = 1.75; 95% CI, 1.38-2.19; P < .001) but rates of subsequent stroke occurrence were not (standardized morbidity ratio = 1.20; 95% CI, 0.75-1.84; P = .40). After adjustment for age, sex, and cardiac comorbidity, neither the type nor severity of valvular heart disease was an independent determinant of survival or subsequent stroke occurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with mitral or aortic valvular heart disease who experience Ischemic stroke, TIA, or amaurosis fugax have Increased rates of death, but not recurrent stroke, compared with expected rates. Other cardiovascular risk factors are more important determinants of survival In these patients than the type or echocardiographic severity of the valvular heart disease.

Aged↗