Background and Purpose-Geographic differences in stroke incidence indicate a potential for prevention. The present study from the city of Malmö, Sweden, sought to investigate whether incidence of stroke in residential areas is related to prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and socioeconomic circumstances. Methods-The Stroke Register in Malmö, Sweden, was used for retrieval of the 3540 patients who suffered a first stroke between 1989 and 1998. The Malmö Diet and Cancer cohort (nϭ28 466) was used to assess area specific prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, smoking, and being overweight and for computation of a cardiovascular risk score. Socioeconomic circumstances for the 17 administrative areas were expressed in terms of a composite score. Results-Standardized stroke incidence ranged among areas from 437 to 743 per 100 000 for men and from 223 to 518 per 100 000 for women. Socioeconomic score correlated significantly with area-specific stroke rates among men (rϭϪ0.62, Pϭ0.008) and women (rϭϪ0.67, Pϭ0.004). Incidence of stroke was significantly associated with cardiovascular risk score for each area (men, rϭ0.53, PϽ0.05; women, rϭ0.76, PϽ0.001). The cardiovascular score and the socioeconomic score together accounted for 44% of the geographic variance among men and 63% among women. Conclusions-Marked differences occurred in stroke incidence among residential areas within this urban population.High-rate areas were characterized by a higher prevalence of smoking, hypertension, diabetes, and being overweight and by inferior socioeconomic circumstances. These risk factors accounted for a substantial proportion of the geographic variance in incidence of stroke.

Background: Studies on the temporal variation in stroke incidence have reported inconsistent results. Few have studied the temporal variations in case fatality. No study on incidence and case fatality of stroke by season in Sweden has been found. This study explores the weekly, monthly and seasonal variations in incidence and 28-day case fatality of stroke. Methods: A total of 7,129 patients with first-ever stroke during the period 1989–1999 were retrieved from the Stroke Register of Malmö, Sweden. χ² test was performed to test the seasonal differences and Poisson regression analysis was used to calculate the case fatality ratios adjusted for sex and age. Results: The stroke cases were on the whole randomly distributed over the study period of 4,017 days. Incidence of all types of stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhage showed no variation by season, month or weekday, but incidence of cerebral infarction for the total population was higher in autumn and winter. Twenty-eight-day case fatality (930 fatal events, 13%) clustered significantly over the study period. Winter emerged as the peak season among men (12.5%), women (17.2%) and total population (15.1%). No consistent variation of incidence and case fatality of stroke by month or weekday was found. Conclusion: Case fatality after stroke demonstrates a seasonal variation with a peak in winter. Incidence of stroke showed no consistent association with season, month or weekday.

Background and Purpose-Although the incidence of and mortality from myocardial infarction (MI) have declined in most industrialized countries, incidence studies of stroke have shown less consistent trends. This study examines time trends in the incidence of stroke and case fatality rates in relation to socioeconomic circumstances and history of MI. Methods-Stroke incidence in the city of Malmö, Sweden (250 000 citizens), has been continuously monitored since 1989.All patients 50 to 79 years of age who experienced a first-ever stroke between 1989 and 1998 were included. Results-We included 3621 patients (1969 men, 1652 women). The age-standardized incidence was 647 per 100 000 persons-years for men and 400 per 100 000 persons-years for women. The annual increase-3.1% in men (PϽ0.05) and 2.9% in women (PϽ0.05)-was more pronounced in the younger age groups and was lowest in areas with poor socioeconomic circumstances. We found that 13% of the men and 6% of the women had a history of MI; this proportion was stable over the study period. The average case fatality rates in 1989 to 1998 were 10% for men and 9.3% for women. Rates remained stable for men but declined significantly in women (odds ratio per year, 0.895; 95% confidence interval, 0.84 to 0.95). Conclusions-In this urban population, stroke incidence increased between 1989 and 1998. The rate of increase tended to be lower in residential areas with least favorable socioeconomic circumstances. The proportion with a history of MI remained unchanged during the study period. There has been significant improvement in the case fatality rate in women but not in men.

Background: Many studies have reported lower mortality in married people. The relation between marital status and incidence of haemorrhagic and ischaemic stroke is unclear. It is largely unknown whether the risk of stroke is increased the first years after divorce or death of spouse. Methods: Incidence of first-ever stroke (n = 6,184) was followed over 10 years in a cohort consisting of all 40- to 89-year-old inhabitants (n = 118,134) in the city of Malmö, Sweden. Marital dissolution (i.e. divorce or death of spouse) prior to the date of stroke was compared in a nested case-control design (3,134 initially married stroke cases, 9,402 initially married controls). Results: As compared to the married groups, the incidence of stroke was increased in divorced men and women (RR = 1.23, CI: 1.10–1.39 and RR = 1.26, CI: 1.12–1.41, respectively) and widowed men and women (RR = 1.13, CI: 0.99–1.28 and RR = 1.13, CI: 1.02–1.24, respectively) after adjustments for age, country of birth and socioeconomic indicators. The risk of stroke was not increased in never married men. Marital dissolution was followed by increased risk of stroke, which was significant for men (adjusted odds ratio: 1.23, CI: 1.03–1.5) and borderline significant for women below 65 years of age (odds ratio: 1.45, CI: 0.99–2.14). Conclusion: The incidence of stroke is increased in divorced and widowed individuals. Never married men do not have an increased incidence. The risk of stroke is elevated during the first years after divorce or death of spouse.

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