Age- and sex-specific trends in fatal incidence and hospitalized incidence of stroke in Scotland, 1986 to 2005.
BACKGROUND
Temporal trends in stroke incidence are unclear. We aimed to examine age- and sex-specific temporal trends in incidence of fatal and nonfatal hospitalized stroke in Scotland from 1986 to 2005.


RESULTS
Mean age at the time of first stroke was 70.8 (SD, 12.9) years in men and 76.4 (12.9) years in women. Between 1986 and 2005, rates fell in men from 235 (95% CI, 229 to 242) to 149 (144 to 154) and in women from 299 (292 to 306) to 182 (177 to 188). Poisson modeling showed that temporal trends were influenced by age with declines in incidence of hospitalized stroke starting later in younger than older age groups. In both men and women aged under 55 years, the overall incidence rate of stroke was significantly higher in 2005 than in 1986.


CONCLUSIONS
We report in a whole country that the overall incidence of stroke declined steadily and substantially between 1986 and 2005, with a relative reduction in the risk of stroke of 31% in men and 42% in women. Reductions in rates of both hospitalized and nonhospitalized fatal stroke contributed to this overall decline. The increase in incident stroke rates in young people is of concern.
Lewsey
James D
JD
Department of Public Health, British Heart Foundation, Glasgow Cardiovascular Research Centre, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom.
Jhund
Pardeep S
PS
Gillies
Michelle
M
Chalmers
Jim W T
JW
Redpath
Adam
A
Kelso
Laura
L
Briggs
Andrew
A
Walters
Matthew
M
Langhorne
Peter
P
Capewell
Simon
S
McMurray
John J V
JJ
MacIntyre
Kate
K
D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D017052:Hospital Mortality / Q000639:trends*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007297:Inpatients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010045:Outpatients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012606:Scotland / Q000453:epidemiology; D017678:Sex Distribution; D020521:Stroke / Q000401:mortality*