Incidence of Transient Ischemic Attacks in Sweden

Abstract

Background and Purpose: Stroke incidence may be on the decline in high-income countries. There may have been a shift from severe forms of cerebrovascular disease to less severe forms. No study regarding transient ischemic attack (TIA) incidence has been performed in Sweden since the 1980s. Methods: We used 2011 and 2012 data from the Swedish stroke register. A large proportion of Sweden's 72 hospitals took part in the TIA register, meaning that 63 (2011) and 66 (2012) percent of the entire population were studied. Results: The number of TIA-cases was 13,880. The number of first ever TIA cases was 9098, 4,675 in men, and 4,423 in women, comprising 66% of all TIAs. The crude overall IR for first ever TIA was 74 per 100,000. The age- and sex-standardized IRs were 73 per 100,000 when standardized to the European population of 2013, and 47 per 100,000 when standardized to the European population 1976. Conclusions: The TIA incidence in Sweden is high, and no decline is seen when compared with previous studies. Better prevention may have caused a shift from severe forms of cerebrovascular disease to less severe forms. For demographic reasons, the health services will most likely face an increasing number of TIA patients in the coming years.