Stroke in SSA: Review of current literature concerning the incidence, risk factors and mortality of stroke in this demographic

• Main Author: Thomas Richard (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Health and Social Sciences Research Institute - South Sudan (HSSRI-SS), 2013-11-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 2309-4605; 2309-4613
• Keywords: Medicine; R; Public aspects of medicine; RA1-1270
• Source: South Sudan Medical Journal, Vol 6, Iss 4, Pp 86-89 (2013)

Prevention of stroke has been a key target for health care interventions in developed countries for decades, with recent WHO statistics demonstrating a 42% decrease in stroke incidence since 1970 [1]. This trend is not observed uniformly worldwide, with the same review demonstrating a 100% increase in stroke incidence in developing countries over a similar time period. Economic changes in these countries are anticipated to amplify this problem, with key risk factors for stroke also increasing in prevalence [2, 3]. Furthermore, more effective treatment of childhood diseases will likely increase the proportion of elderly people in these countries, further increasing the burden of chronic disease. A large hospital based study in Tanzania estimated the incidence of stroke to be between 108-316 per 100,000 [4] with significant differences between rural and urban populations. However considerable variation in this estimate has been observed in several smaller studies [5, 6]. Information concerning the community incidence of stroke is scarce with only one large study demonstrating a significantly lower incidence of stroke than hospital based studies [7]. Reliable information on stroke in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is therefore poor and it is difficult to accurately estimate stroke incidence in its population. Nevertheless, the aforementioned studies demonstrate a steady, yet substantial increase in the burden of stroke, hence necessitating further research and implementation of appropriate prevention strategies.