Death and rehospitalization after transient ischemic attack or acute ischemic stroke: One-year outcomes from the adherence evaluation of acute ischemic stroke-longitudinal registry

Background: Longitudinal data directly comparing the rates of death and rehospitalization of patients discharged after transient ischemic attack (TIA) versus acute ischemic stroke (AIS) are lacking. Methods: Data were analyzed from 2802 patients (TIA n = 552; AIS n = 2250) admitted to 100 U.S. hospitals participating in the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke and the Adherence Evaluation of Acute Ischemic Stroke-Longitudinal registry. The primary composite outcome was the adjusted rate of all-cause death and rehospitalization over 1 year after discharge. Four additional single or combined outcomes were explored. Results: Compared with AIS, TIA patients were older (median 69 v 66 years; P =.007) and more likely female (53.3% v 44.2%; P <.0001). Secondary prevention medication use after hospital discharge was less intensive after TIA, with underuse for both conditions. All-cause death or rehospitalization at 1 year was similar for TIA and AIS patients (37.7% v 34.6%; P =.271); the frequency for TIA patients was higher after covariate adjustment (hazard ratio [HR] 1.19; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01-1.41). One-year all-cause mortality was similar among those with TIA compared to AIS patients (3.8% v 5.7%; P =.071; adjusted HR 0.86; 95% CI 0.52-1.42). All-cause rehospitalizations were higher for TIA compared to AIS patients (36.4% v 33.0%; P =.186; adjusted HR 1.20; 95% CI 1.02-1.42), but similar for stroke rehospitalizations (10.1% v 7.4%; P =.037; adjusted HR 1.38, 95% CI 0.997-1.92). Conclusions: Patients with TIA have similar or worse 12-month postdischarge risk of death or rehospitalization as compared with those with AIS. Outcomes after TIA and AIS might be improved with better adherence to secondary preventive guidelines.