Although many studies have looked at the risk of stroke after a minor stroke or TIA, results have been inconsistent, with seven-day stroke risk ranging from 0 percent to 12.8 percent. This has led to problems with their interpretation.
Researchers at the Stroke Prevention Research Unit, University of Oxford, U.K. reviewed studies of the risk of stroke within seven days after a TIA to estimate overall stroke risk, and also look at the influence of study method, setting, population, treatment, and case mix. They found the risk of stroke among patients treated urgently in specialist units was substantially lower than for patients treated in alternative settings.
These results, they said, support the argument that a TIA is a medical emergency and that urgent treatment in specialist units may reduce the risk of subsequent stroke.
