[Worsening in patients treated in acute stroke units--results of the Austrian Stroke Unit Registry].

Up to one-third of patients admitted to a hospital due to an ischemic stroke or a transient ischemic attack show clinical worsening of symptoms in the first hours to days after admission. We analyzed on the basis of a large patient group the frequency of minor or major worsening and the possible predictors for worsening. In the nationwide Austrian Stroke Unit Registry, 11616 patients with ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack and a known NIHSS on admission and discharge from the stroke unit were recorded between March 2003 and February 2007.