Background Stroke not only substantially increases the risk of incident dementia early after stroke, the risk remains elevated years after. Aim We aimed to determine the risk factors of dementia onset more than 3-6 months after stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). Methods This is a single center prospective cohort study. We recruited consecutive subjects with stroke/TIA without early-onset dementia. We conducted an annual neuropsychological assessment for 5 years. We investigated the association between baseline demographic, clinical, genetic (APOEε4 allele), and radiological factors, as well as incident recurrent stroke, with delayed-onset dementia using Cox proportional hazards models. Results 1,007 patients were recruited, of which 88 with early-onset dementia and 162 who lost to follow-ups were excluded. 49 (6.5%) out of 757 patients have incident delayed-onset dementia. The presence of ⥠3 lacunes, history of ischemic heart disease (IHD), history of ischemic stroke and a lower baseline Hong Kong version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score, were significantly associated with delayed-onset dementia. APOEε4 allele, medial temporal lobe atrophy, and recurrent stroke were not predictive. Conclusion The presence of ⥠3 lacunes, history of IHD, history of ischemic stroke and a lower baseline MoCA score, are associated with delayed-onset dementia after stroke/TIA.
Incidence of ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack in patients with multiple risk factors with or without atrial fibrillation: a retrospective cohort study