Half of CV events occur from two to five years post-TIA, -stroke

(HealthDay)—For patients who experienced a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or minor stroke, the rate of a composite of stroke, acute coronary syndrome, or death from cardiovascular causes is 12.9 percent at five years, with half of these events occurring in the second through fifth years, according to a study published June 7 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Pierre Amarenco, M.D., from Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, and colleagues examined the five-year risk of stroke and vascular events among patients who had had a TIA or minor stroke. Patients were followed for the primary outcome, with an emphasis on events occurring in the second to fifth years. A total of 3,847 patients were included in the study.

The researchers found that the composite primary outcome occurred in 469 patients (estimated cumulative rate, 12.9 percent), with 50.1 percent of events occurring in the second through fifth years. Strokes had occurred in 345 patients at five years (estimated cumulative rate, 9.5 percent); 43.2 percent of these patients had a stroke during the second through fifth years. At five years, rates of death from any cause, death from cardiovascular causes, intra-cranial hemorrhage, and major bleeding were 10.6, 2.7, 1.1, and 1.5 percent, respectively.

"In a follow-up to a one-year study involving patients who had a TIA or minor stroke, the rate of cardiovascular events including stroke in a selected cohort was 6.4 percent in the first year and 6.4 percent in the second through fifth years," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to medical device and pharmaceutical companies, including AstraZeneca, Sanofi, and Bristol-Myers Squibb, which funded the study.

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