title: [Stroke in the elderly: prevalence and frequency of hospitalization; the ERGO study (Erasmus Rotterdam Health and the Elderly). The ERGO research group].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the prevalence of self-reported and medically confirmed stroke, and the degree to which the event leads to hospitalization.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  The suburb of Ommoord in Rotterdam.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Rotterdam Study is a single centre population-based prospective follow-up study of 7983 subjects, aged 55 years and over, living in the suburb of Ommoord of Rotterdam. Information of stroke was based on the question 'Did you ever suffer from a stroke, diagnosed by a physician'? If yes, additional medical information was obtained from the general practitioner. The present analysis is based on the first 4982 participants of the Rotterdam Study (1878 men and 3104 women) of whom data on both self-reported and medically confirmed stroke were available.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Prevalence of self-reported stroke was 5.8% for men and 4.0% for women. Of self-reported strokes 55% could medically be confirmed, yielding a prevalence of 3.5% for men and 1.9% for women. The prevalence of first and only stroke was 4.5% and 3.0% for men and 3.3% and 1.7% for women, respectively and increased with age. The percentage of hospitalization was 55% for self-reported first and only stroke and 61% for medically confirmed first and only stroke.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among elderly subjects, self-reported stroke was relatively common and in 55% the stroke was confirmed by medical records. About 55% of the patients with a first stroke were hospitalized.
authors.affiliation: Erasmus Universiteit, Instituut Epidemiologie en Biostatistiek, Rotterdam.
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Looman
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Bots
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hofman
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Koudstaal
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Grobbee
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D014505:Urban Population
vernacular_title: Beroerte bij ouderen: prevalentie en opnamefrequentie; het ERGO-onderzoek. de ERGO-onderzoekgroep.