title: Acute stroke in a metropolitan area, 1970 and 1980. The Minnesota Heart Survey.
abstract: Mortality rates for stroke, and hospitalization and case fatality rates for acute stroke in 1970 and 1980 were obtained for residents aged 30-74 of the Twin Cities (Minneapolis--St Paul) metropolitan area to determine whether improved hospital care contributed to the decline in stroke mortality. Age-adjusted mortality rates per 100,000 declined significantly in that decade for men (1970, 89.4; 1980, 47.5; p less than 0.01) and women (1970, 72.6; 1980, 40.9; p less than 0.01). Age-adjusted hospitalization rates per 100,000 population also declined significantly for men (1970, 438; 1980, 323; p less than 0.01) and women (1970, 331; 1980, 203; p less than 0.01). Age-adjusted mean length of hospital stay did not change significantly. Hospital case fatality declined for men aged 30-64 years (1970, 22.5%; 1980, 15.1%; p less than 0.01) but did not change significantly for 65 to 74 year-old men (1970, 16.5%; 1980, 20.0%; p = 0.09) or for all women (age-adjusted rates: 1970, 13.6%; 1980, 16.0%; p = 0.17). There was no change in the distribution of severity of hospitalized cases between years. Therefore, the decline in stroke mortality is consistent with a decreased incidence of stroke resulting from improved hypertension control. Improvements in hospital medical care appear not to have contributed substantially to the decline in stroke mortality.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality*; D003644:Death Certificates; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008910:Minnesota; D012737:Sex Factors; D014505:Urban Population