[Transient ischemic attacks in Chilean patients and their relationship with the country's pattern of cerebrovascular disease].

BACKGROUND

It has been postulated that in Chile, transient ischemic attacks (TIA) are much less frequent than in Caucasian populations. A lesser frequency of these attacks would be due to a higher frequency of intracranial atheromas, whereas an abundance of TIA would be a result of a higher prevalence of extracranial atheromas.

AIM

To study the history of TIA in a group of Chilean patients with an acute episode of cerebrovascular disease.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

One hundred forty nine patients admitted to a Neurology service of a public hospital in Santiago, with an acute stroke, were studied. Patients and close relatives were interrogated about previous symptoms of TIA using a structured questionnaire.

RESULTS

One hundred nine patients had an ischemic and 40 patients a hemorrhagic stroke. Twenty patients with ischemic stroke had a history of TIA (18%). Fifteen out of 74 patients without a cardiac source of emboli (20%) and five out of 35 cases with an embolic source (14%) had a TIA preceding their stroke. Three out of 40 patients (8%) with hemorrhagic stroke had a history of TIA.

CONCLUSIONS

This study does not support nor reject the hypothesis of a Chilean pattern of cerebrovascular disease unlike that found in Northern Caucasians.