Differences in Clinical Characteristics between Patients with Transient Ischemic Attack Whose Symptoms Do and Do Not...

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Emergency Medicine
• Stroke Research

Background:

• Transient ischemic attack (TIA) symptoms can persist upon hospital arrival, but factors influencing this are unclear.
• Understanding differences in clinical presentation for acute TIA patients is crucial for timely diagnosis and management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare clinical characteristics of acute TIA patients with and without persisting symptoms on arrival.
• To identify factors associated with symptom persistence in TIA patients presenting within 24 hours.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of a multicenter TIA database.
• Inclusion of consecutive TIA patients with onset-to-door time ≤24 hours and no prior stroke history.
• Comparison of clinical data between patients with and without persisting symptoms on arrival.

Main Results:

• 39.5% of 266 TIA patients had persisting symptoms.
• Persisting symptoms were associated with sensory disorder, ambulance transport, and longer TIA duration (≥60 minutes).
• Shorter onset-to-door time (<12 hours) was inversely associated with symptom persistence.

Conclusions:

• Clinical presentation and post-admission management may differ for TIA patients based on symptom persistence.
• Identifying patients with persisting symptoms early can guide stroke unit admission and specialist evaluation.