The prevalence of stroke and associated disability.
BACKGROUND
There are limited data available on the prevalence of stroke in the United Kingdom. Such data are important for the assessment of the health needs of the population. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of stroke and the prevalence of associated dependence in a district of northern England.


METHODS
This was a two-stage point prevalence study. A valid screening questionnaire was used to identify stroke survivors from an age- and sex-stratified sample of the population aged 45 years and over in a family health services authority district. This was followed by assessment of stroke patients with scales of disability and handicap.


RESULTS
The overall prevalence of stroke was found to be 17.5/1000 (95 per cent confidence interval (CI) 17.0, 18.0). The prevalence of stroke-associated dependence was 11.7/1000 (95 per cent CI 11.3, 12.1). Self-reported comorbidity was most commonly due to circulatory and musculoskeletal disorders.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of stroke in this district is considerably higher than current guidelines and previous results suggest. Nevertheless, the result from this study combined with that from a previous study in another district in the United Kingdom should allow those interested in epidemiologically based health needs assessment to make reasonable estimates of the burden of stroke in their area.
O'Mahony
P G
PG
Department of Medicine (Geriatrics), University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne.
Thomson
R G
RG
Dobson
R
R
Rodgers
H
H
James
O F
OF
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015982:Bias; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires