Study of cognitive impairment after transient ischemic attack

Abstract

Background: Cognitive impairment following transient ischemic attack (TIA) and its frofile are unknown. Aim: The purpose of this study was to determine frequency of TIA-related cognitive impairment and its domain specific profile. Materials and Methods: This was hospital-based case-control study which recruited patients with TIA aged 45 to 65 years without prior stroke or cognitive decline underwent testing The Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination Revised (ACE-R) within 3 months at the Mongolia-Japan Hospital between March 2023 and August 2023. Age (±1 year) and sex-matched controls were selected from outpatient departments. Cognitive impairment was defined ACE-R below 83 and domain specific impairment calculated as a domain z score corresponding to a performance below the lower fifth percentile. Z-scores per cognitive domain were obtained, based on the mean of a control group within the same age range. Results: Fourty one patients with TIA (53.7% women, mean age, 56.8±7.2 years) were included in the case group.The mean ACE-R scores were signi cantly different between cases and controls (83.2±7.07 vs 90.5±5.30, p<0.0001). Seventeen (47.1%) of the TIA patients had cognitive impairment (ACE-R <83) compared with the controls (p=0.005). Patients with TIA performed worse than controls on each individual cognitive test and all cognitive domains, except executive function (Z-score mean difference -0.63, -1.11; p<0.05). Conclusions: The present study indicated that 41.7% patients with TIA have cognitive impairment within 3 months after their TIA. The affected domains fit in the vascular cognitive impairment profile.