Three-month stroke outcome: the European Registers of Stroke (EROS) investigators

Contemporaneous data on variations in outcome after first-ever-lifetime stroke between European populations are lacking. We compared differences in case fatality rates, functional outcome, and living conditions 3 months after stroke within the European Registers of Stroke Collaboration.

Population-based stroke registers were established in France (Dijon), Italy (Sesto Fiorentino), Lithuania (Kaunas), the United Kingdom (London), Spain (Menorca), and Poland (Warsaw). All patients with first-ever-lifetime stroke of all age groups from the source population (1,087,048 inhabitants) were included. Data collection took part between 2004 and 2006. The study investigated population variations in outcome at 3 months (death, institutionalization due to stroke, or Barthel Index below 12 points) using multivariable logistic regression analyses adjusted for age, sex, stroke severity, stroke subtype, and comorbidities.

A total of 2,034 patients with first-ever-lifetime stroke were included. Median age was 73 years, 52% were female. The mean weighted cumulative risk of death was 21.8% (95% confidence interval 20.0 to 23.6) with a 3-fold variation across populations. The weighted proportion of poor outcome was 41.3% (95% confidence interval 39.0 to 43.7) with a 2-fold variation across populations.

More than 40% of patients had a poor outcome, defined as being dead, dependent, or institutionalized 3 months after stroke. Substantial outcome variations were found between populations that were explained by case mix variables in this analysis, yet a trend toward a higher risk of poor outcome was present in Kaunas.