Recurrent stroke risk is higher than cardiac event risk after initial stroke/transient ischemic attack.
OBJECTIVE
Patients with ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) are at risk for recurrent cerebrovascular and cardiac events. Understanding which of these adverse events is more likely to occur next is instructive for preventive therapy planning.


METHODS
Subjects (n=1923) were identified from a sample of hospital discharges from administrative claims for the Michigan Medicare population from January 2001 to June 2001 using International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision codes for ischemic stroke/TIA. Outcomes (cardiac events, myocardial infarction [MI], percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty [PTCA], coronary artery bypass grafting [CABG] and ischemic strokes) were identified for 2001 to 2003. Comparison between cardiac and stroke as secondary events were made using cumulative incidence estimates.


RESULTS
Over the follow-up period, 172 patients had a cardiac event (62.8% MI, 7.6% CABG, 14.5% PTCA, 9.3% MI and PTCA, and 5.8% MI and CABG) and 239 had a stroke as their first event. Cardiac event at 2 years had occurred in 7.7%, and stroke occurred in 11.8%.


CONCLUSIONS
The risk of stroke after initial stroke/TIA is higher than the risk of cardiac events. The propensity after stroke/TIA to have the first recurrent ischemic event in the brain, rather than in the heart, has implications for prophylactic therapy selection.
Brown
Devin L
DL
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. devinb@umich.edu
Lisabeth
Lynda D
LD
Roychoudhury
Canopy
C
Ye
Yining
Y
Morgenstern
Lewis B
LB
D000368:Aged; D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control; D006753:Hospital Records; D006801:Humans; D007511:Ischemia / Q000473:pathology; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D006278:Medicare; D008824:Michigan; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000473:pathology; D012008:Recurrence; D012306:Risk; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014652:Vascular Diseases