Transient Ischemic Attack in Women: Real-World Hospitalization Incidence, Outcomes, and Risk of Hemorrhage and Stroke

BACKGROUND: Sex-specific differences in stroke risk factors, clinical presentation, and outcomes are well documented. However, little is known about real-world differences in transient ischemic attack (TIA) hospitalizations and outcomes between men and women. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of the 2016 to 2021 Nationwide Readmissions Database in the United States. Adult patients hospitalized for TIA were included. Annual incidences of TIA hospitalizations for men and women were calculated using the US Census Bureau data. Primary end points were 90-day readmission for ischemic stroke or hemorrhage and compared between men and women. Demographics and comorbidities were captured and used to adjust for confounders using propensity score matching and logistic regression models. RESULTS: A total of 588 499 patients were identified; 326 794 (55.5%) were women. The estimated annual incidence of TIA hospitalizations was 42.4 (95% CI, 26.0–58.9) per 100 000 women and 36.2 (95% CI, 23.5–48.9) per 100 000 men (relative risk, 1.17 [95% CI, 1.13–1.21]; P <0.001). Overall, women were older, had higher rates of headache and psychiatric comorbidities, and had lower rates of vascular risk factors compared with men. Women were significantly less likely to be readmitted for ischemic stroke (hazard ratio, 0.86 [95% CI, 0.79–0.93]; P <0.001) and more likely to be readmitted for hemorrhage (hazard ratio, 1.12 [95% CI, 1.04–1.20]; P <0.001), with similar rates of antithrombotic use at the time of readmissions ( P >0.05). Compared with ischemic stroke, hemorrhage readmissions were significantly associated with lower odds of home discharge (odds ratio, 0.83 [95% CI, 0.76–0.91]; P <0.001) and higher odds of death (odds ratio, 3.01 [95% CI, 2.35–3.87]; P <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Women have a higher incidence of TIA hospitalizations than men, which may be due to higher rates of nonischemic causes of transient neurological symptoms as evidenced by differences in baseline characteristics and lower rates of subsequent ischemic stroke. Future studies are needed to better characterize transient neurological symptoms in women to avoid excess hospitalizations and unnecessary treatments that may increase hemorrhage risk.