[Transient ischemic attacks in Chilean patients and their relationship with the country's pattern of cerebrovascular disease].
BACKGROUND
It has been postulated that in Chile, transient ischemic attacks (TIA) are much less frequent than in Caucasian populations. A lesser frequency of these attacks would be due to a higher frequency of intracranial atheromas, whereas an abundance of TIA would be a result of a higher prevalence of extracranial atheromas.


OBJECTIVE
To study the history of TIA in a group of Chilean patients with an acute episode of cerebrovascular disease.


METHODS
One hundred forty nine patients admitted to a Neurology service of a public hospital in Santiago, with an acute stroke, were studied. Patients and close relatives were interrogated about previous symptoms of TIA using a structured questionnaire.


RESULTS
One hundred nine patients had an ischemic and 40 patients a hemorrhagic stroke. Twenty patients with ischemic stroke had a history of TIA (18%). Fifteen out of 74 patients without a cardiac source of emboli (20%) and five out of 35 cases with an embolic source (14%) had a TIA preceding their stroke. Three out of 40 patients (8%) with hemorrhagic stroke had a history of TIA.


CONCLUSIONS
This study does not support nor reject the hypothesis of a Chilean pattern of cerebrovascular disease unlike that found in Northern Caucasians.
Alvarez
G
G
Departamento de Ciencias Neurológicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile.
Araya
F
F
Feuerhake
W
W
Villagra
R
R
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002677:Chile / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors
Crisis isquémicas transitorias en chile y su relación con el patrón de enfermedad cerebrovascular chileno.