Silent Brain Infarcts and Transient Ischemic Attacks

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Abstract
Background and Purpose We undertook to study the clinical relevance of silent strokes and history of transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) and their individual and combined effects on outcome variables of neurological and epidemiological interest in first-ever stroke patients. Methods We performed univariate and multivariate analyses of data prospectively collected in the Klosterneuburg Stroke Data Bank, a hospital-based registry in Austria that includes a 3-year follow-up program. Results Of 728 patients (mean age, 68±10 years) with a first-ever ischemic stroke, 110 (15%) had had a previous TIA, and 66/618 (11%) patients did not have a history of TIA but showed evidence of silent brain infarct on CT. Outcome variables of neurological interest were not significantly different between groups, including time between stroke and study entry, activities of daily living status at first presentation, median time of hospitalization, 30-day mortality, or 3-year mortality. Univariate analyses of epidemiologically impor...