Stroke among the adult population of Burkina Faso: magnitude and trend

Abstract

Background: Strokes are the second leading cause of death and the third leading cause of disability-adjusted life-years lost in the world. Most of incident and prevalent cases of strokes occur in low-income and middle-income countries. The purpose of this study was to describe the overall trend of stroke prevalence and mortality among adults in Burkina Faso. Methods: This was an exhaustive document review of strokes using the Ministry of Health’s statistical yearbooks over an 11 years period. Patients aged 15 years or over were taken into consideration. The process of compiling statistical yearbooks takes place from the periphery to central level. The assessment of temporal trends was performed using linear equations. Results: From 2002 to 2012, the number of adult stroke consultations increased from 15,976 to 134,049. We noticed a clear increase in the number of hospitalized patients of both genders, from 523 in 2002 to 9,047 in 2012. Furthermore, we observed a regression of in-hospital mortality rates from 2004 onwards. Conclusions: In our study, we noted a substantial increase in the number of stroke cases requiring consultation and hospitalisation. In contrast, the mortality rate was decreasing.