---
title: "Sick leave patterns after transient ischemic attack (TIA) in working-age adults: a Swedish registe"
id: "plos-one-3-sick-leave-after-transient-ischemic-attack-among-working-age-adults-in-sweden-a"
canonical_url: "https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/plos-one-3-sick-leave-after-transient-ischemic-attack-among-working-age-adults-in-sweden-a"
content_type: "clinical_feed_article"
specialty: "Neurology"
source_name: "PLOS ONE (Medicine)"
source_url: "https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0359635"
published_at: "2026-09-30T14:00:00.000Z"
evidence_level: "Journal Feed"
license: "CC-BY-NC-4.0 / Informational Use"
---
# Sick leave patterns after transient ischemic attack (TIA) in working-age adults: a Swedish registe
## Provenance & Clinical Metadata
- **Canonical URL:** https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/plos-one-3-sick-leave-after-transient-ischemic-attack-among-working-age-adults-in-sweden-a
- **Specialty:** [Neurology](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/neurology.md)
- **Primary Source:** PLOS ONE (Medicine)
- **Source URL:** [Original Journal Publication](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0359635)
- **Published At:** 2026-09-30T14:00:00.000Z
- **Evidence Rating:** Journal Feed
## Executive GIST (TL;DR)
- This register-based cohort study included 347 working-age adults (≤66 years) with **transient ischemic attack (TIA)** treated in Gothenburg, Sweden, between 2014 and 2019, and 1,388 age- and sex-matched population controls (4:1). - Data on sick leave, disability pension, income, education, and employment were obtained from national registers (Väststroke, Riksstroke, LISA, and the Swedish Social Insurance Agency); all data were pseudonymized. - Individuals with TIA had more sick-leave days during the year before the index event than controls (mean 26 vs. 14 days, p < 0.001) and showed a within-person increase of 39 sick-leave days during the year after TIA compared with the year before (95% CI 28–50, p < 0.001). - Prevalence of ongoing sick leave rose from 8.1% at 30 days before the event to 18.4% at the index date and peaked at 14 days after TIA (35.7% vs. 3.4% in controls). - Sick leave declined over time but remained elevated at 2 months (23.1%) and at 1 year (11.5%) post-TIA compared with controls (3.4% and 3.8%, respectively). - The most common registered sick-leave diagnoses 14 days after TIA were **TIA** (43%), **mental health** conditions (13%), and **stroke** (12%); by 1 year, mental health and stroke diagnoses were more prominent among those still on sick leave. - In multivariable analysis, higher disposable income (middle and highest tertiles) and being employed were associated with greater odds of ongoing sick leave 14 days after TIA; education and other examined variables were not significant. - Disability pension prevalence before the index date was higher in the TIA group (14.7%) than controls (11.2%), and few new disability pensions were approved during the following year. - The authors conclude that many working-age adults experience immediate and sometimes persistent work incapacity after TIA, and that additional morbidity may be present before the event; these patterns could indicate unmet rehabilitation needs.
## Clinical Analysis & Structured Key Points
[ Skip to main content ](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0359635#main-content) Advertisement * [plos.org](https://plos.org/) * [Create account](https://community.plos.org/registration/new) * [Sign in](https://journals.plos.org/user/secure/login?page=%2Fplosone%2Farticle%3Fid%3D10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0359635) * * About * Browse * Publish * [](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/ "PLOS One") * Search [advanced search](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/search) * [Browse Topics](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/subjectAreaBrowse) Browse Subject Areas ? Click through the PLOS taxonomy to find articles in your field. For more information about PLOS Subject Areas, click [here](https://github.com/PLOS/plos-thesaurus/blob/master/README.md "Link opens in new window"). [](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0359635) [](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0359635) * 0 [Save](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/metrics?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0359635#savedHeader) [Total Mendeley and Citeulike bookmarks.](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/metrics?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0359635#savedHeader) * 0 [Citation](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/metrics?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0359635#citedHeader) [Paper's citation count computed by Dimensions.](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/metrics?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0359635#citedHeader) * 14 [View](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/metrics?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0359635#viewedHeader) [PLOS views and downloads.](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/metrics?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0359635#viewedHeader) * 0 [Share](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/metrics?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0359635#discussedHeader) [Sum of Facebook, Twitter, Reddit and Wikipedia activity.](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/metrics?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0359635#discussedHeader) Open Access Peer-reviewed Research Article # Sick leave after transient ischemic attack among working-age adults in Sweden: A register-based cohort study * Adam Viktorisson , Roles Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Visualization, Writing – original draft * E-mail: adam.viktorisson@gu.se Affiliations Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden [ ![ORCID logo](https://journals.plos.org/resource/img/orcid_16x16.png) https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4659-2406 ](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4659-2406 "ORCID Registry") ⨯ * Malin Reinholdsson, Roles Conceptualization, Data curation, Funding acquisition, Project administration, Writing – review & editing Affiliations Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, Department of Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden [ ![ORCID logo](https://journals.plos.org/resource/img/orcid_16x16.png) https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2005-3463 ](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2005-3463 "ORCID Registry") ⨯ * Maja Bengtsson, Roles Conceptualization, Data curation, Methodology, Writing – original draft Affiliation Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Sweden ⨯ * Tamar Abzhandadze, Roles Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Writing – review & editing Affiliations Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, Department of Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden ⨯ * Katharina S. Sunnerhagen Roles Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Supervision, Writing – review & editing Affiliations Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden [ ![ORCID logo](https://journals.plos.org/resource/img/orcid_16x16.png) https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5940-4400 ](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5940-4400 "ORCID Registry") ⨯ # Sick leave after transient ischemic attack among working-age adults in Sweden: A register-based cohort study * Adam Viktorisson, * Malin Reinholdsson, * Maja Bengtsson, * Tamar Abzhandadze, * Katharina S. Sunnerhagen ![PLOS](https://journals.plos.org/resource/img/logo-plos-full-color.svg) x * Published: September 30, 2026 * * [Article](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0359635) * [Authors](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/authors?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0359635) * [Metrics](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/metrics?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0359635) * [Comments](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/comments?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0359635) * [Media Coverage](http://plos.altmetric.com/details/doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0359635) * [Abstract](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0359635#abstract0) * [Introduction](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0359635#sec005) * [Methods](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0359635#sec006) * [Results](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0359635#sec012) * [Discussion](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0359635#sec013) * [Conclusions](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0359635#sec015) * [References](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0359635#references) * [Reader Comments](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/comments?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0359635) * [Figures](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0359635) ## Abstract ### Background A transient ischemic attack (TIA) is a brief episode of neurological dysfunction caused by focal brain or retinal ischemia, with symptoms resolving within 24 hours and without evidence of acute infarction. This study aims to investigate patterns of sick leave before and after TIA in working-age adults compared with matched general population controls. ### Methods This register-based cohort study included all individuals aged ≤66 years treated for TIA in Gothenburg, Sweden, between 2014 and 2019, and age- and sex-matched general population controls (4:1). Data from national registers were used to assess sick leave the year before and after the index event. Logistic regression was used to model associations of sick leave after TIA. ### Results 347 individuals with TIA (median age 59 years; 40.6% women) and 1,388 controls were included. Individuals with TIA had more days on sick leave than controls during the year before the event (mean 26 [SD 78] vs. 14 [SD 55], p 330,800 SEK. Educational level was also collected from LISA and categorized according to the highest completed level: 12 years (post-secondary or higher education). ### TIA specific variables In the TIA cohort medical conditions, including prior stroke, atrial fibrillation, hypertension, and diabetes, were obtained from the Riksstroke register. Information on smoking status was also collected from Riksstroke. Data on prior physical activity were retrieved from the regional Väststroke register and were based on a self-reported assessment scale conducted by physiotherapists at the stroke unit. Physical activity was defined as light activity ≥4 hours per week or moderate activity ≥2 hours per week during the year preceding the event, according to the Saltin–Grimby Physical Activity Level Scale [[10](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0359635#pone.0359635.ref010)]. ### Statistics Baseline characteristics of individuals with TIA and matched controls were summarized using median and ranges for continuous variables and counts with percentages for categorical variables. The prevalence of sick leave and disability pension at five predefined time points (30 days before the index date, at the index date, 14 days, 2 months, and 1 year after the index date) was calculated separately for TIA cases and controls. The number of days on sick leave during the year preceding the index date was compared between individuals with TI
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