Validation of the ABCD2 score to identify the patients with high risk of late stroke after a transient ischemic attack or minor ischemic stroke.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The ABCD(2) score is able to predict the short-term risk of stroke after a transient ischemic attack/minor stroke. We aimed to explore its predictive value for long-term recurrent stroke. METHODS Consecutive patients with a transient ischemic attack/minor stroke, hospitalized during a 2-year period, were followed up to document any further stroke and death stratified by a 7-point ABCD(2) score. Result- A total of 490 patients were followed for an average of 40.5 months (SD, 10.7 months). Further stroke were identified in 76 (15.5%) patients and 62 (12.7%) patients died during follow-up. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that an ABCD(2) score >4 was found to be an independent risk factor for further stroke (hazard ratio, 2.27; 95% CI, 1.36 to 3.80) and for death (hazard ratio, 1.68; 95% CI, 0.99 to 2.85). CONCLUSIONS In addition to predicting short-term stroke risk, ABCD(2) score is a useful tool to predict long-term stroke risk after a transient ischemic attack or minor ischemic stroke.