Ten-Year Trends in Stroke Incidence and Mortality in the FINMONICA Stroke Study

Background and Purpose The trends in stroke incidence reported so far have not been entirely consistent, although declining trends in mortality from stroke have been reported from a number of studies around the world. This study aims to evaluate the 10-year trends (from 1983 through 1992) in incidence, attack rate, and mortality of stroke in the Finnish population. Methods A population-based stroke register was set up in the early 1980s to collect data on all suspected events of acute stroke that occurred in the population aged 25 to 74 years permanently residing in three geographic areas of Finland: the provinces of Kuopio and North Karelia in eastern Finland and the Turku-Loimaa area in southwestern Finland. Trends in age-standardized attack rates, incidence, and mortality were calculated for the period studied. Results During the 10-year study period, 11 392 acute stroke events occurred in the monitored populations. A statistically significant decline was observed in the pooled FINMONICA data, both in ...