Epidemiology for Stroke:
According to the American Heart Association's "Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics: 2015 Update", in 2010, stroke was the number two global cause of death, shortly behind heart disease. In 2010, stroke mortality accounted for around 11.3% of deaths. Today, stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States, killing about 129,000 people per year.
The most significant aspect of this data is the difference in stroke incidence between ethnicities. African-Americans have been found to have a significantly higher risk of a first stroke occurrence than those of a Caucasian background. As seen in the graph below, there are large disparities in stroke mortality between ethnicities.
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| http://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heart-public/@wcm/@sop/@smd/documents/downloadable/ucm_449858.pdf |
Stroke mortality has been decreasing over the past several years in the United States, largely due to more effective post-stroke treatment and care. Since 2010, stroke mortality has decreased by 35%, which is a significant five year change. However, stroke still currently accounts for 1 in every 20 deaths in the United States. This is especially significant upon the consideration that many strokes can be prevented through a healthy diet and exercise regimen.
The most significant geographical location of stroke mortality occurs in the Southeastern United States. This data isn't surprising based on a dietary analysis of this geographical region--with large amounts of fats and other unhealthy foods--in correlation with the levels of heart and arterial diseases, which also influences risk for stroke. There is also a direct correlation between age and stroke incidence, with that occurrence increasing as age increases. However, according to the Center for Disease Control, in 2009, 34% of people hospitalized for stroke were under the age of 65. While this data may be slightly outdated, that number is significant because it illustrates that stroke isn't simply an "age problem." It can be directly influenced by diet and exercise of an individual, which means that stroke occurrence needs to be addressed more frequently, in order to practice effective preventative measures.
This video features Dr. Virginia Howard of the University of Alabama Birmingham explaining the geographical epidemiology of stroke.
This chart illustrates the "stroke belt" that Dr. Howard discusses in the video link above.
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| http://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/maps/national_maps/stroke_all.htm |
Sources:
http://www.cdc.gov/stroke/facts.htm
http://www.heart.org/idc/groups/ahamah-public/@wcm/@sop/@smd/documents/downloadable/ucm_470704.pdf
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