Elderly stroke burden: a comprehensive global study over three decades

Stroke is a serious disease that negatively affects the quality of life of patients and has become a global public health problem. This study used data from the 2021 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study to assess the burden of stroke in the elderly population between 1990 and 2021.

This cross-sectional study utilised data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021, encompassing 204 countries and territories. The analysis included data from older patients who had experienced a stroke. The analysis includes morbidity, all-cause and cause-specific mortality, disability-adjusted life years, and corresponding estimated annual percentage changes (APCs).

From 1990 to 2021, the total number of stroke cases among the global elderly population rose from approximately 4.39 million to 8.19 million, with the age-standardized incidence (ASIR) decreasing from 996.06 cases per 100,000 people to 775.68 cases per 100,000 people (EAPC-0.784). The number of deaths increased from 4.08 million to 6.19 million, and the age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) decreased from 981.87 to 600.08 deaths per 100,000 people (EAPC-1.446). The number of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) increased from 75.96 million to approximately 111.14 million, with the age-standardized DALYs rate (ASDR) declining (EAPC-1.596). In five Socio-Demographic Index (SDI) regions, the disease burden was higher in men than in women.

The number of stroke cases, deaths and DALYs increased in the elderly, while the global incidence, mortality and mortality rates of stroke decreased, with a higher burden on older men than women.