Mortality due to stroke in the population of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil: a temporal trend study

Introduction: Cerebrovascular diseases are among the leading causes of death in the world and correspond to the first cause of overall mortality in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Objective: To analyze the two-decade temporal trend of the stroke mortality rate in the adult population of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, from 2000 to 2021. Method: This is an ecological time series study, based on secondary data. Data were extracted from the database of the Informatics Department of the Unified Health System - Datasus. Joinpoint regression models were applied to analyze the temporal trend. Results: The stroke mortality rate in adults in Rio Grande do Sul remained stable throughout the period from 2000 to 2021, with the exception of the segment from 2019 to 2021, a period marked by an increase in the mortality rate in the age group of 40 to 69 years. The analyses of both overall mortality and percentage variation maintained a pattern, indicating that women were the group with the highest mortality, especially with advancing age. Conclusion: From 2000 to 2021, the state of Rio Grande do Sul remained stable, with an epidemiological profile predominant in women and in older age groups, especially those over 80 years old.