Stroke in Isfahan, Iran: hospital admission and 28-day case fatality rate.
BACKGROUND
In Isfahan, a city in the middle of Iran, a community intervention trial has been started for cardiovascular disease prevention and control via reducing its risk factors and improvement of relevant healthy behavior. A surveillance system was needed to monitor vascular diseases, especially stroke, during and following this community intervention program.


METHODS
A prospective study on hospitalized stroke patients was done in Isfahan, Iran, from 2000 to 2003. All hospitalized stroke events were recorded via a system adopted from the World Health Organization Monitoring Trends and Determinants in Cardiovascular Disease (MONICA) project, yet ignoring the MONICA age limitation. The age-adjusted hospital admission rate was calculated. Patients and/or their families were followed and asked regarding the patients' survival status.


RESULTS
The age-adjusted hospital admission rate in Isfahan was increasing from 2000 to 2003 (rising from 84.16 to 103.23/100,000). The 28-day case fatality rates were nearly the same during these years and were about 32%. Ischemic stroke events made up the majority of cases (about 70%), and intracerebral hemorrhage events had the second highest prevalence (25%).


CONCLUSIONS
This study showed that the stroke hospital admission rate might be increasing in Isfahan. A community-based stroke incidence study is needed to elucidate stroke epidemiology in Isfahan, Iran, as a Middle East country.
Oveisgharan
Shahram
S
Stroke Registry Unit, Isfahan Cardiovascular Research Center, Isfahan, Iran. oveis@crc.mui.ac.ir
Sarrafzadegan
Nizal
N
Shirani
Shahin
S
Hosseini
Shidokht
S
Hasanzadeh
Parisa
P
Khosravi
Alireza
A
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000150:complications; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D013997:Time Factors