Abstract
We aimed to investigate the prevalence of stroke and related vascular risk factors in adult population aged 40 years and older in China. We conducted a prospective cross-sectional survey in nationally representative sample of 207323 individuals from all 31 Chinese provinces in 2013. Data were used to analyze the prevalence of stroke by age, sex, geographical regions and educational level. The age-standardized prevalence of stroke was significantly higher in men than in women in all age groups (P < 0.001). The age-standardized prevalence of stroke was significantly higher in rural than in urban residents among both men and women (P < 0.001). The prevalence of stroke was inversely associated with educational level. There were striking geographical variations in stroke prevalence in China with a higher prevalence of stroke in northern provinces as compared with southern provinces of the country. The age-standardized prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, atrial fibrillation and obesity in the Chinese population aged 40 years and older were 35.24%, 9.55%, 58.72%, 1.57% and 4.09%, respectively. Stroke and related vascular risk factors remains a major public threat in China and effective primary preventive strategies that aimed at reducing the burden of stroke and its risk factors are urgently needed.
Highlights
In 2010, stroke has replaced ischemic heart disease as the leading cause of death in China[3]
The prevalence of hypertension, dyslipidemia, atrial fibrillation and obesity were significantly higher in women than in men (P < 0.001). This large-scale, national community based study is the first to investigate the national burden of stroke and vascular risk factors in all 31 provinces in mainland China
Our study documented that 2.08% of Chinese adults 40 years of age or older have stroke, which equates to 11.8 million affected individuals
Summary
In 2010, stroke has replaced ischemic heart disease as the leading cause of death in China[3]. A large scale population survey of 5 800,000 residents showed that the age-adjusted prevalence of stroke was 259.86 per 100,000 people in 19867. These regional epidemiological studies were conducted in 1980s and cannot reflect the changing prevalence of stroke in China. The prevalence of stroke risk factors remains unknown in the general population in China. Investigation of the burden of stroke with its risk factors provides a more comprehensive assessment of the disease and is crucial for the development of effective policies for prevention and management of stroke in China. We aim to investigate the prevalence and the risk factors of stroke in the adult Chinese population aged 40 years and older
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