Estimation of the Risk of Stroke in Black Populations in Barbados and South London

Background and Purpose— The incidence of stroke in black populations is a public health issue, but how risk varies between black communities is unclear. Methods— Population-based registers in South London (SLSR) and Barbados (Barbados Register of Strokes [BROS]). Stroke incidence estimated by age group, gender and stroke subtype from January 1995 to December 2002 (SLSR), and October 2001 to September 2003 (BROS). Incidence rate ratios [IRR] estimated adjusting for age and sex. Results— Two hundred and seventy-one cases registered in SLSR and 628 cases in BROS. Average age of stroke was 66.1 years (SD 13.7) in SLSR and 71.5 years (SD 14.9) in BROS (P<0.001). The incidence rate/1000 population in SLSR was 1.61 (European adjusted; 95% CI, 1.41 to 1.81) and 1.08 (world adjusted; 95% CI, 0.95 to 1.21). For Barbados incidence rates were 1.29 (European adjusted; 95% CI, 1.19 to1.39) and 0.85 (world adjusted; 95% CI, 0.78 to 0.92). Overall IRR for SLSR: BROS adjusted for age and sex was 1.26 (95% CI, 1.09 to 1.46...