[Transient global amnesia: a review of 58 cases].
BACKGROUND
Transient global amnesia (TGA) is a clinical condition in which the etiopathogenesis is still not clear. The most generally accepted theory is of a vascular origin, although epilepsy or migraine have also been considered to possibly be the cause.


OBJECTIVE
To make a retrospective review of the risk factors, etiopathogenesis and clinical characteristics of 58 patients with TGA.


METHODS
The variables recorded were compared with those from two control groups: one of healthy individuals and one of patients with transient ischemic attacks (TIA).


RESULTS
The average age of the patients with TGA was 66.01 years. The risk factors included: arterial hypertension (58.62%), dyslipemia (15.51%) and migraine (8.62%). In three patients the EEG showed weak bilateral frontotemporal interference. Cerebral CT scans were done in all cases and were found to be pathological in 23, with lacunar multinfarct the commonest abnormality. With regard to patients with TIA, these were older (66.01 vs 72.94), smoked more (1.72% vs 12.06%) and a previous stroke was more frequent (8.62% vs 31.03%). We did not find differences regarding dyslipemia, atrial fibrillation, arterial hypertension or cardiac ischemia. However, the prevalence of vascular risk factors was significantly higher in patients with TGA as compared to healthy controls.


CONCLUSIONS
We suggest that the etiopathogenesis of TGA is probably a transient ischemic phenomenon triggered (or not) following an attack of migraine.
Servicio de Neurología, Hospital Clínico Universitario Lozano Blesa, Zaragoza, España. ssantosl@yahoo.com
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Santos
J
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López del Val
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Tejero
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Iñiguez
J M
JM
Lalana
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F
Morales
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D020236:Amnesia, Transient Global / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed