Increased Dementia Risk Seen After Transient Ischemic Attack

MONDAY, Sept. 28, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Having a transient ischemic attack (TIA) is associated with an increased risk for dementia, according to a study published online Sept. 23 in Neurology.

Raed A. Joundi, M.D., D.Phil., from McMaster University & Population Health Research Institute in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and colleagues conducted a population-wide cohort study using linked administrative health data to quantify the rate, relative risk, and time course of incident dementia after TIA compared with a matched reference population (controls) and individuals with stroke. Data were included for 113,081 matched patients with TIA.

The researchers found that dementia was diagnosed in 19.3 percent of patients with TIA during a median follow-up of 7.11 years. Across all time horizons, dementia rates after TIA were consistently higher than in matched controls (overall rate, 2.71 versus 2.03 per 100 person-years). The highest hazard ratio for dementia after TIA was seen within the first year (hazard ratio, 1.75), and this remained elevated during a follow-up of 20 years (overall hazard ratio, 1.34). Early on, the hazard of dementia was lower after TIA compared with stroke (one-year hazard ratio, 0.67) but became similar after follow-up of five years. Dementia incidence exceeded stroke incidence; results were attenuated minimally with adjustment for incident stroke.

“Dementia occurs far more frequently after a TIA than having a stroke,” Joundi said in a statement. “This highlights that prevention strategies after a TIA should go beyond stroke prevention and consider dementia as a major long-term complication.”

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