Trends in Stroke Attack Rates and Case Fatality in the Hunter Region, Australia 1996-2008

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The Hunter area in New South Wales, Australia, is a well-defined geographical area with a population of 578,486 (2006). This paper presents trends from 1996 to 2008 for prospectively registered hospital admissions of adults aged 20 years and above with acute stroke. METHOD: Crude, age-standardised and age-specific stroke attack rates per 100,000 population and case fatality rates at standard time points were calculated. A medical record audit of stroke and stroke mimics was undertaken to determine discharge coding accuracy. RESULTS: 9,796 acute stroke events were registered among 8,830 individuals at 14 public acute hospitals. Crude and age-standardised attack rates decreased con..