INCIDENCE OF TRANSIENT ISCHEMIC ATTACKS IN THE BELLUNO PROVINCE, ITALY - FIRST-YEAR RESULTS OF A COMMUNITY-BASED STUDY

Objectives - This study formed part of a larger prospective population -based survey on cerebrovascular diseases and aimed to provide reliabl e and comparable results on TIA incidence and on related risk factors, which could supply investigation objectives and support information f or primary and secondary prevention. Material and methods - We underto ok a prospective population-based study in the province of Belluno, an area located in the North-East of Italy where 211,389 people live, ut ilizing all the possible case-collection sources available in the terr itory. Results - In the first year of the study (June 1, 1992 to May 3 1, 1993) 271 patients with a diagnosis of transient ischemic attack we re recruited. Among these, we recorded 171 cases of new TIAs. The crud e annual incidence rate for new TIAs was 0.80 per 1000, 0.73 per 1000 for men and 0.87 per 1000 for women. After adjustment to the European population, the overall incidence rate decreased to 0.58 per 1000 inha bitants per year. The mean age of new TIA patients was 73.91 years and females were significantly older than males (p<0.001). A CT scan disc losed an infarct in 21 new TIA patients. Conclusion - Our first-year r esults on new TIAs incidence did not differ from the findings reported in previous population-based studies performed throughout the world a nd support data as to risk factors for TIA.