Early hospitalization of patients with TIA: A prospective, population-based study

Background: The German Stroke Society (GSS) recommends early hospitalization of patients with transient ischemic attack (TIA) regardless of ABCD² score. This population-based study determined the rate of stroke during hospitalization and within 3 months after discharge, as well as the rates of mortality and readmission during the 3 months after discharge in patients with TIA. Methods: During a 36-month period (starting November 2007), 2200 consecutive patients (mean age, 70.6 ± 12.8 years; 49% women) with TIA from 15 hospitals in the Federal State of Schleswig-Holstein (1 of the 16 states in Germany) were prospectively evaluated during hospitalization and a follow-up time of 3 months after discharge. The primary outcomes were stroke during hospitalization and 3 months after discharge, as well as readmission and mortality at 3 months. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated by the adjusted logistic regression analysis. Results: Of 2200 patients (median time of admission, 6 hours from symptom onset), 24 patients (1.1%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.7%-1.5%) experienced a stroke during hospitalization (mean, 6 days), and of 1335 patients, 38 (2.8%; 95% CI, 2.1%-3.8%) experienced a stroke during the 3 months after discharge. Stroke during hospitalization was independently correlated with male sex (OR, 3.5) and acute brain infarction detected by brain imaging (OR, 2.6), whereas stroke within 3 months correlated with age greater than 65 years (OR, 3.0). The readmission rate (11.1%; 95% CI, 9.3%-12.7%) was increased in patients who had had previous stroke (OR, 1.7) but decreased in patients who were discharged with statin medication (OR, 0.6). The 3-month mortality (1.4%; 95% CI, 0.9%-1.9%) was independently correlated with unilateral weakness (OR, 2.6) and atrial fibrillation (AF) (OR, 2.6). Conclusions: These findings may help clinicians to estimate the TIA prognosis in patients who were hospitalized early with TIA.