Clinical features and prognosis of transient global amnesia in Israel: 6 years' single-center experience

Background: Transient global amnesia (TGA) is a benign neurological syndrome of unknown etiology, causing sudden anterograde amnesia that lasts up to 24 h. During the episode of TGA, other cognitive functions are normal. This is the first study describing the characteristics of the disease in Israel.

Methods: A retrospective review of all patients with a confirmed diagnosis of TGA at Shamir Medical Center (SMC) between January 2016 and December 2021.

Results: One-hundred and four patients with confirmed TGA were identified, with an average age of 64 years (range: 39-87). The annual incidence of TGA was 2.52 per 100,000 and 6.96 per 100,000 among those over 50, with a slight female predominance. The recurrence rate was 11.5%. 61.5% of patients had one or more cerebrovascular risk factors. A precipitating factor was described in 30.8% of cases, with emotional stress, Valsalva maneuver and sexual intercourse being the most prevalent. Chronic ischemic changes were the most common imaging abnormality. Focal slowing was found in nine patients, and epileptic activity was found in four patients.

Conclusions: In this study, we showed that patient characteristics and clinical features of TGA patients in Israel were similar to those described in other reports worldwide. We were unable to demonstrate a specific risk factor or a causative agent. Interestingly, the annual incidence in Israel was lower than in other countries.