WEDNESDAY, Feb. 10, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Among older adults, the incidence rate of stroke decreased from 2005 to 2018, while stroke mortality decreased for younger and older adults, according to a study published online Feb. 10 in Neurology.
Nils Skajaa, from Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, and colleagues examined incidence rates and mortality risks for patients aged 18 to 49 years (younger adults) and aged 50 years or older (older adults) with a first-time ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, or subarachnoid hemorrhage using the Danish Stroke Registry and Danish National Patient Registry for 2005 to 2018.
A total of 8,680 younger adults and 105,240 older adults were identified with ischemic stroke or intracerebral hemorrhage. The researchers found that in younger adults, the incidence rate of ischemic stroke (per 100,000 person-years) remained steady (ischemic stroke: 20.8 in 2005 and 21.9 in 2018; intracerebral hemorrhage: 2.2 in 2005 and 2.5 in 2018). In older adults, there were decreases noted in the rates of ischemic stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage, especially in those aged 70 years and older. There was a decrease observed in rates of subarachnoid hemorrhage, which was greater in younger adults. In both age groups, stroke mortality decreased over time, mainly due to a decline in mortality after severe strokes.
“The decrease we found may be associated with better treatment of stroke risk factors, such as hypertension and atrial fibrillation, as well as falling smoking rates in the population,” a coauthor said in a statement.
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