Risk factors for incident dementia after stroke and transient ischemic attack.

Background: We hypothesized that chronic brain changes are important substrates for incident dementia after stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA).

Methods: We compared clinical and imaging features between patients with consecutive stroke/TIA with (n = 88) and without (n = 925) incident dementia at 3 to 6 months after a stroke/TIA. Pittsburg compound B (PiB) positron emission tomography was performed in 50 patients, including those with (n = 37) and without (n = 13) incident dementia.

Results: Age, history of diabetes mellitus, severity of white matter changes (WMCs), and medial temporal lobe atrophy (MTLA) were associated with incident dementia. Alzheimer's disease (AD)--like PiB retention was found in 29.7% and 7.7% (P = .032) of patients with and without incident dementia, respectively.

Conclusions: Chronic brain changes including WMCs, MTLA, and AD pathology are associated with incident dementia after stroke/TIA. Interventions targeting these chronic brain changes may reduce burden of vascular cognitive impairment.