How Risky Are Transient Ischemic Attacks?
Two presentations at the conference looked at the risk of stroke and death after a transient ischemic attack. The first study compared the risk of stroke, dependency, and death in transient ischemic attack and stroke patients in Germany. Although stroke patients were at a higher risk in each category, patients who had a transient ischemic attack still had a high likelihood of having a stroke (6%), becoming dependent on others for daily care (22%), and dying (2%) within six months of the transient ischemic attack. The researchers concluded that transient ischemic attacks merit the same attention as strokes. The second study, conducted in California, found that nearly 6% of transient ischemic attack patients experienced a stroke within 48 hours of their TIA. By three months, this percentage increased to 16%. Three years later, 30% of transient ischemic attack patients had gone on to have a stroke, showing that the risk of stroke is high after a transient ischemic attack, especially in th
