title: Trends in stroke hospitalisation rates and in-hospital mortality in Aragon, 1998-2010.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite the impact of cerebrovascular disease (CVD) on global health, its morbidity and time trends in Spain are not precisely known.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of our study was to characterise the epidemiology and trends pertaining to stroke in Aragon over the period 1998-2010.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a retrospective, descriptive study using the data of the Spanish health system's Minimum Data Set and included all stroke patients admitted to acute care hospitals in Aragon between 1 January 1998 and 31 December 2010. We present data globally and broken down by stroke subtype, sex, and age group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The number of cases increased by 13% whereas age- and sex-adjusted hospitalisation rates showed a significant decrease for all types of stroke (mean annual decrease of 1.6%). Men and women in younger age groups showed opposite trends in hospitalisation rates for ischaemic stroke. Case fatality rate at 28 days (17.9%) was higher in patients with intracerebral haemorrhage (35.8%) than in those with subarachnoid haemorrhage (26.2%) or ischaemic stroke (13%). CVD case fatality showed a mean annual decline of 2.8%, at the expense of the fatality rate of ischaemic stroke, and it was more pronounced in men than in women.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Understanding stroke epidemiology and trends at the regional level will help establish an efficient monitoring system and design appropriate strategies for health planning.
authors.affiliation: Sección de Neurología, Hospital Royo Villanova, Zaragoza, España. Electronic address: alvaro.gimenezm@gmail.com.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giménez-Muñoz
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Neurología, Hospital Universitario Miguel Servet, Zaragoza, España.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Ara
authors.affiliation: Dirección General de Planificación, Departamento de Sanidad, Gobierno de Aragón, Zaragoza, España.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Abad Díez
authors.affiliation: Sección de Neurología, Hospital Royo Villanova, Zaragoza, España.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Campello Morer
authors.affiliation: Sección de Neurología, Hospital Royo Villanova, Zaragoza, España.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Pérez Trullén
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D017052:Hospital Mortality / Q000639:trends*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D012042:Registries; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013030:Spain; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D013345:Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Cerebrovascular disease; Enfermedad cerebrovascular; Epidemiology; Epidemiología; Hospital-based registry; Hospitalisation rates; In-hospital mortality; Letalidad hospitalaria; Registros hospitalarios; Tasas de hospitalización; Tendencias temporales; Time trends