Stroke epidemiology and one-month fatality among an urban population in Iran

Stroke is one of the most common causes of death and disability in Iran. This study evaluated stroke patient profiles with respect to rate, risk factors, and one-month fatality.

A cross-sectional, hospital-based study on all stroke patients older than 45 years admitted to hospitals in the city of Qom throughout 2001.

Four hundred and sixty patients older than 45 years were admitted as stroke. The annual stroke rate was estimated to 338/100 000 (95% confidence interval, 300-360) inhabitants older than 45 years. The annual rate of stroke was 384/100 000 (95% confidence interval, 381-386) when adjusted to the European population. Stroke subtypes were; ischaemic infarction 75%, intracranial haemorrhage 20·7%, subarachnoid haemorrhage 3%, and undetermined 1·3%. Main risk factors were hypertension in 74·6% and diabetes in 55·7%. Mortality rate was 24·6% within the first month.

Stroke incidence was higher than in Western countries. Hypertension and diabetes mellitus were considerably more frequent in our studied stroke patients than in other developing countries. Our findings need to be addressed in future health education programmes in Iran identifying patients at risk and focusing on more aggressive prevention programmes to lower stroke incidence.