Stroke related death


Stroke related death rate three times higher among Black population compared to Whites

Death from stroke among black aged between 45 and 54 is three times higher than whites, unveils the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study. Higher risk of death from strokes in blacks is majorly due to more number of such incidents in their population.

 Above mentioned conclusion has been based on the assessment of stroke incidence and mortality of nearly 30,000 participants over the age of 45. In the last five decades, there has been a decline of around 70% in the stroke mortality rate. Now, stroke is counted as the fifth leading cause of death in the United States.




Irrespective of the decline, new study has shown about disparity between blacks and whites when it comes to stroke and mortality from the same. Hypertension and diabetes are common in blacks and could be among the reasons.

 Difference lessens as the population ages as the researchers did not notice any disparity in the stroke mortality rate in those aged 85 and above. “The prevalence of hypertension is higher in blacks, but its impact is even greater in the black population. An increase of 10mmHg in blood pressure is associated with an 8 percent increase in stroke risk among whites but a 24 percent increase in stroke risk in blacks”, said Dr. Walter Koroshetz, director of NINDS.

 As per the study researchers, best ways to lessen the disparity in stroke incidence and mortality is increased efforts in stroke prevention, control on high blood pressure and diabetes. Claudia Moy, acting director of the Office of Clinical Research at NINDS, prevention and management is vital if working towards an aim to lessen the increased risk of stroke and stroke mortality in blacks.

 As per the research paper published by the study team, "Blacks between the ages of 45 and 54 die of strokes at a rate that is three times greater than their white counterparts, according to the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study, which looked at stroke incidence and mortality of nearly 30,000 participants over the age of 45 from an ethnically and demographically diverse sample of the U.S. population. The findings suggest that the higher risk of death from strokes in blacks is due mostly to the higher incidence in this population, and not to worse outcomes following stroke."

 "However, despite the national trends showing declining stroke incidence and mortality, data from the REGARDS study confirm persistence of disparities between blacks and whites in the occurrence of stroke and mortality due to stroke. The difference in stroke incidence is believed to be due in part to differences in the prevalence of such potent risk factors as hypertension and diabetes, which are more common in blacks. However, the magnitude of the disparity in stroke mortality diminishes as the population ages, with no difference in the stroke mortality rate for those age 85 and older."

 Dr. Walter Koroshetz, director of NINDS said, “The prevalence of hypertension is higher in blacks, but its impact is even greater in the black population. An increase of 10mmHg in blood pressure is associated with an 8 percent increase in stroke risk among whites but a 24 percent increase in stroke risk in blacks.”

 NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases.

 According to a story published on the topic by Eurek Alert, "The REGARDS study was funded by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and the results appear in the journal Stroke. There has been a decline of almost 70 percent in stroke mortality rates overall in the past 50 years, making stroke the fifth leading cause of death in the United States. The reduction is attributed to improved stroke prevention due largely to better control of stroke risk factors including hypertension, diabetes, smoking cessation, and advances in post-stroke care."

 Earlier this year, the NINDS launched a stroke prevention campaign called Mind Your Risks, designed to educate people aged 45-65 about the link between uncontrolled high blood pressure and the risk of developing dementia later in life. The campaign messaging launched in the Stroke Belt, an area of the southeastern U.S. where stroke incidence is high and REGARDS has focused its efforts.

 A report published in the Madison News said, "But while middle-aged blacks were more likely than whites to die from a stroke, there were no black-white differences in the risk of death among stroke survivors, according to the study in the June 2 issue of the journal Stroke."

 "The magnitude of public health burden of the racial disparity in stroke is staggering, with an estimated 22,384 'extra' stroke events [occurring in black people in 2014]," study author George Howard, a professor of biostatistics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health.

source: NHV
Location: United States

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